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COPiiyGHT DEPOSm 



THE HOME 
HANDY BOOK 



BY A. FREDERICK COLLINS 

The Home Handy Book 

Keeping Up with Your 
Motor Gar 

The Book of Wireless 

The Book of Stars 

The Book of Magic 

The Book of Electricity 

D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 
Publishers New York 



tee B 



THE HOME 
HANDY BOOK 



t/ 



A COMPENDIUM OF USEFUL THINGS TO DO 

AROUND THE AVERAGE HOUSE AND 

HOW TO KEEP IT IN REPAIR 



/ 
BY 

A. FREDERICK COLLINS 



/ 



ADTHOB OF "THE BOOK OF WIBELE8S," "tHE BOOK OF STABS," "tHE BOOK OF MAGIC,' 

"the BOOK OF ELECTBICITT," ETC. 




/ 



FULLY ILLUSTRATED 



D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 
NEW YORK LONDON 

1917 



-7 



Ts^ 



I ^liyCM • 10 c< 



if 



Copyright, 1917, bt 
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY / 




MAY 21 1917 



V 



Printed in the United States of America 

©C! A4J37056 ^^\|^^ 



TO 

JOSEPH GARFIELD BANDY 



A .WORD TO YOU 

There are always a hundred and one things to do 
around the average house ; and to keep it in repair and 
make it a nice, comfortable place to live in, it is strictly 
up to you to see that these things are done. 

And if you don't do it you are missing a fine experi- 
ence by not learning how to use tools, and, besides, you 
will have to send out every little while for the carpenter, 
the plumber, the locksmith and divers other journeymen 
to fix up things ; or, failing to do this, the house will go 
to rack and ruin. 

Now mechanics usually charge about seven prices for 
doing odd jobs, but it must be remembered that they 
not only figure up the actual time they put in and the 
materials they use, but they also count the time it takes 
for them to make the call and to get back to their shops 
again, and time with them is money. 

On the other hand, to neglect the little repairs as they 
are needed means that the house will soon show signs 
of shiftlessness and this is an indecent burden that no 
self-respecting family needs to carry, for the reason that 
any one can do all the little odd jobs that ought to be 
done if he or she goes about it in the right way. 

There are some other important gains that will accrue 
to you by using tools and doing the work yourself, and 
among them is that you can save the money which would 
have to be paid for outside help, and this is no incon- 

• • 

Vll 



A WORD TO YOU 

siderable amount in a year's time; that your home will 
take on an aspect as spick and span as a lady's bandbox, 
which gives you a wonderful feeling of pride; and, 
finally, that it will set the red blood a-tingling in your 
arteries in virtue of the fact that your brain and hands 
are doing the finest kind of team work. 

A. Frederick Collins. 
''The Antlers;' 

Congers J N. Y, 



PAGE 

1 



20 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER 

I. TOOLS EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE . 

Wood working tools— How to use wood working 
tools— How to sharpen wood working tools- 
Metal working tools— How to use metal work- 
ing tools— Taking care of your tools— Your 
workshop — Materials you need. 

IL INDOOR MECHANICS .... 
How to clean a clock— To keep a carpet sweeper 
in order— Fixing an oil-stove— To solder tin- 
ware—Mending a window shade roller— New 
shears for old— The right way to sharpen 
knives— How to repair your bicycle— To keep 
a sewing machine in repair. 

in. BE YOUR OWN LOCKSMITH ... 38 

How to fix a door knob — How a lock is made — 
How to pick a lock— How to make keys. 

IV. DOING ELECTRICAL JOBS ... 46 
Charging new and re-charging old batteries — 
Testing out electric bell circuits— Testing and 
fixing telephones— Testing and fixing annuncia- 
tors—How to make a refrigerator alarm— How 
to make an electric alarm clock— How to make 
an electric door alarm— How to make an elec- 
tric fire detector— How to install an electric gas 

ix 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTEB PAGE 

lighting apparatus — How to install a burglar 
alarm trap — How to solder and tape wires — Re- 
placing fuses — Coloring and frosting electric 
light bulbs — Testing and fixing electric heating 
apparatus. 

V. THE AMATEUR PLUMBER . . . . 74 

Stopping leaks in lead pipes — Soldering lead 
pipes — How to make a cup- joint — How to clean 
out pipes — Putting new washers in faucets — 
How to prevent water pipes from freezing — 
When leaving a house for the winter — How to 
thaw out frozen water pipes^— A handy clean- 
out plunger — The mechanism of a flushing tank 
and how to keep it in order — Pumps, how they 
work and how to fix them — How to clean a gas 
jet — How to detect gas leaks — Keeping gas 
cooking stoves in order. 

YI. THE HANDY GLAZIER .... 90 

About window glass — Tools vised for cutting win- 
dow glass — How to cut window glass — How to 
make a cutting board — Removing old putty from 
sash — How to make glazing putty — How to put 
in a light — To clean windows. 

VIL THE FURNITURE REPAIRER . . 98 

Easing doors and drawers that stick — Re-seating 
chairs — Repairing broken chairs — Castors that 
won't fall out — Tightening dresser and side- 
board handles — Taking dents out of furniture — 
To prevent hinges from creaking — How to clean 
furniture — A good furnitiu-e varnish — A good 
furniture and piano polish — A fine polish for 
leather — How to re-upholster furniture. 

X 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTEB ^^^^ 

VIII. THE HOME DECORATOR . . .108 

About wall paper — The amount of paper re- 
quired — The tools and apparatus you need — 
How to prepare the walls — How to size the 
walls — How to make the paste — How to paste 
the paper — How to trim the paper — How to 
paper the ceiling — How to paper the walls — A 
few helpful hints — Curing damp walls — How to 
kalsomine a ceiling — How to make stenciled 
decorations — Interior varnishing — Varnishing 
new floors and woodwork — ^\^amishing old floors 
and woodwork — Interior painting — Cleaning 
painted walls- -To remove old paint — Interior 
enameling — How to put on stained glass paper. 

IX. HANDY HELPS FOR THE HOUSE . 125 

How to make a self-drying soap stand — How 
to make a self -setting mouse trap — How to make 
an adjustable book rack — How to make a quick 
ice cream freezer — How to make a shower 
bath while you wait — How to make a window 
ventilator — How to make a window cupboard — 
How to make a cheap water filter and cooler — 
How to make an efficient fire extinguisher — 
How to make an aquarium — How to make a 
sleeping window — How to make a folding bath- 
tub. 

X. ODDS AND ENDS . . . . . . 147 

Shop helps — How to clean files — Common steel 
wire nails — Watch and machine oils — The use of 
expansive bits — A patent nail holder and set — 
How to etch your name on steel tools — House- 
hold helps — To tell the weight of a cake of ice 

xi 



CONTENTS 

•without scales — To keep a broom in good condi- 
tion — To make sticky fly paper — To make a 
good household paste — To tell how old an egg 
is — How to make putz pomade — To prevent 
lamp chimneys from breaking — To take a glass 
stopper out of a bottle — To remove a cork from 
the inside of a bottle — How to fit a cork — To 
make a cement for glass, chinaware, etc. — How 
to make a kitchen reminder. 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



FIGURE 

1. — Wood working tools you should have 

2. — The right way to start a saw 

3. — The proper way to hold a chisel . 

4. — The correct way to bore a hole 

5. — Metal working tools you need 

6. — A wire holder for your soldering iron. 

it is used. B. How it is made 
7. — A vise with wood and lead cheeks 
8. — ^A good bench .... 
9. — An ordinary clock 
9. — B. The clock taken out of its case 
10. — It is easy to solder tinware 
11. — X-ray view of a window shade roller 
12. — New shears for old 
13. — How to sharpen a knife 
14. — Making bicycle repairs 
15. — Parts of a sewing machine 
16. — Phantom view of a door knob 
17. — The inside of a door lock . 
18. — The inside of a drawer lock 
19. — Lock picks. A. Door lock pick. B 

lock pick 
20. — A warding file 
21. — A door and a dresser key 
22. — Testing out the battery 
23. — Testing out the bell 
24. — Testing out the push button 
25. — A. A gravity drop annunciator 



How 



Dresser 



PAGB 

3 
6 
7 
8 
10 

15 
16 
18 
21 
21 
26 
28 
29 
30 
31 
35 
38 
39 
41 

42 
43 
44 
48 
48 
49 
51 



Xlll 



CONTENTS 

without scales — To keep a broom in good condi- 
tion — To make sticky fly paper — To make a 
good household paste — To tell how old an egg 
is — How to make putz pomade — To prevent 
lamp chimneys from breaking — To take a glass 
stopper out of a bottle — To remove a cork from 
the inside of a bottle — How to fit a cork — To 
make a cement for glass, chinaware, etc. — How 
to make a kitchen reminder. 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



FIGURE 



1. — Wood working tools you should have 

2. — The right way to start a saw 

3. — The proper way to hold a chisel . 

4. — The correct way to bore a hole 

5. — Metal working tools you need 

6. — ^A wire holder for your soldering iron 

it is used. B. How it is made 
7. — A vise with wood and lead cheeks 
8. — A good bench .... 
9. — An ordinary clock 
9. — B. The clock taken out of its case 
10. — It is easy to solder tinware 
11. — X-ray view of a window shade roller 
12. — New shears for old 
13. — How to sharpen a knife 
14. — ^Making bicycle repairs 
15. — Parts of a sewing machine 
16. — Phantom view of a door knob 
17. — The inside of a door lock 
18. — The inside of a drawer lock 
19. — Lock picks. A. Door lock pick. B 

lock pick 
20. — A warding file 
21. — A door and a dresser key 
22. — Testing out the battery 
23. — Testing out the bell 
24. — Testing out the push button 
25. — A. A gravity drop annunciator 



A. 



How 



Dresser 



PAGB 

3 
6 
7 
8 
10 

15 
16 
18 
21 
21 
26 
28 
29 
30 
31 
35 
38 
39 
41 

42 
43 
44 
48 
48 
49 
51 



Xlll 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

FIGURE PAGE 

25. — B. The electro-mechanism of a gravity drop . 52 

26. — Wiring diagram of a form drop annmiciator . 54 

27. — An electric refrigerator alarm .... 55 

28. — The float for the refrigerator .... 56 

29. — The contact device for the alarm clock . . 57 

30. — The electric alarm clock complete ... 59 

31. — The contact for the door alarm .... 60 

32. — The electric door alarm complete ... 61 

33. — An easily made thermostat 62 

34. — The electric fire detector installed ... 63 
35. — A. A plain electric lighting gas burner. B. A 
ratchet gas lighter burner. C. A gas light- 
ing spark coil 65 

36. — Wiring diagram for gas lighting spark coil . 67 

37. — A burglar alarm trap 67 

38. — Wiring diagram for a burglar alarm trap . . 68 

39. — A. A wire splice. B. A wire joint ... 69 

40. — Soldering a spliced wire 70 

41. — A cut-out block 71 

42. — How a cup joint is made 75 

43. — A lead pipe S trap 76 

44. — A handy clean-out plunger 79 

45. — The supply tank 80 

46. — Cross section of supply valve. Cross section of 

flash valve 81 

47. — A cross section of the bowl 82 

48. — A. A pitcher spout pump 83 

48. — B. Plunger and valves 84 

48. — C. Top \dew of foot valve for simple lift pump 84 

49. — A. A double acting force pump .... 86 

49. — B. Cross section of a double acting force pump 87 

50. — A. A steel wheel glass cutter .... 92 

50. — B. A diamond glass cutter .... 92 

51. — How to cut a window light 94 

• • . . . I/O 



52. — A glass cutting board 



XIV 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



FIGURE 



53.- 
54." 
55.- 
55.- 
56.- 
57.- 
57.- 
58.- 
59.- 
60.- 
61.- 
62.- 
62.- 
63.- 
63.- 
64.- 
65.- 
66,- 
67.- 
67.- 
68.- 
69.- 
70.- 
71.- 
71.- 
72.- 
73.- 
74.- 
74.- 
75.- 



A putty knife 



-A. A glazier's point. B. 

-Ready made chair seats 

-A. Repairing" a chair round 

-B. Tightening up the legs . 

-Tools needed for paper hanging 

-A. Oiled paper stencil 

-B. A stencil brush 

-Stenciling on a border 

-Coating the paper with isinglass size 

-Putting the paper on the window 

-A self -drying soap stand 

-A. A self -setting mouse trap 

-B. The mouse had a right to live 

-A. An adjustable book block . 

-B. The book blocks in use . 

-The can of a quick ice cream freezer 

-The stand of a quick ice cream freezer 

-The ice cream freezer in use 

-A. An improved shower bath 

-B. He would fain be clean 

-A window ventilator . 

-A window cupboard . 

-A cheap water cooler and filter 

-A. The tin cone for the end of the tube 

-B. 

-An aquarium 

-A sleeping window 

-A. The frame of a folding bath tub 

-B. Making the canvas tub . 

-A spiritualistic cork extractor 



The fire extinguisher in use 



PAGE 

98 
99 
100 
101 
111 
118 
118 
119 
122 
123 
125 
126 
127 
128 
129 
130 
130 
131 
132 
133 
134 
136 
137 
139 
139 
141 
142 
144 
145 
153 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 



THE HOME HANDY 

BOOK 

CHAPTEE I 
TOOLS EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE 

To do a job like a mecliaiiic you must, first of all, 
use the kind of tools a meclianic uses, for good tools 
count for every whit as much as the skillful use of 
tools. 

It is a truism that a poor workman will do just 
as good, or bad, a job with good tools as a good work- 
man will do when handicapped with poor tools. 'Now 
the purpose of this book is to tell you not only what 
kind and make of tools to buy but how to use and 
what to do with them. 

A large assortment of tools is not at all necessary 
but the important thing is that you should get the 
very best and as a sort of an index the price of each 
one is given so that you will know what good tools 
are likely to cost. 

Wood Working Tools. — The following list of 

wood working tools comprise about all of those that 
my son and I have used in our house for the past ten 
years and they have served practically every purpose. 

1 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

TOOL COST 

a) Nail hammer $ -50 

b) Hand saw 1.75 

c) Back saw 1.20 

d) Miter box 35 

e) Block plane .90 

f ) Adjustable smooth plane 1.25 

g) Two firmer chisels ^ and i inch 35 and .40 

h) Twa firmer gouges^ and i" inch 25 and .35 

i ) Brace and three bits, i, | and i inch 75 

j ) Two gimlets 25 

k) Lathing hatchet or Boy Scout ax 50 

1) Try square 20 

m) Two-foot folding rule 25 

n) Nail set 10 

o) Washita oilstone 1.30 

p) Vise 1.50 

(a) Nail Hammer. — This should be made of a 
fine grade of cast-steel. An adze eye, bell-faced ham- 
mer made by the Ohio Tool Company, weighing 1 
pound and 3 ounces, will give satisfaction. It is 
shown at a in Fig. 1. 

(b) Hand Saw, — A Disston or Atkins saw made 
of silver-steel and having a 20-inch blade will serve 
all ordinary needs. A rip saw for sawing boards the 
way the grain runs is useful but you can get along 
without it. 

(c) Bach Saw. — This saw should also be made of 
silver-steel and one with a 12-inch blade will be large 
enough. It is used with a miter box. 

(d) Miter Box. — This is a box formed of a bot- 
tom and two sides and is usually made of beech or 

2 



TOOLS EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE 

other hard wood. Slots are sawed in the box at 
angles of 45 and 90 degrees. A good size is 2l inches 
high, 3i inches wide and 18 inches long. 
%) Block PZ^ne.— Get a block plane with an ad- 




t 



^ 



J«.AOZE EYE 6-CR0S5 CUT HANDSAW c-BACKSAW 

6ELL FACED HAMMER 



J^ 



<rfMlTREBOX 





« -BLOCK PLANE /SMOOTH PLANE 



1 f^^ .«xx»^==^ 

^-FIRMER CHISEL- Uip, BIT FOR BRACE 



V- 



BRACE 



K -FIRMER OOUOE 



3- GIMLET 




m-2 FT FOLDING RULE 



1 



J I J 



^NAIL HOLDER AND SET 



l-TRY SQUARE 




•WASHITA OJLSTOHE 



k^iATHlNG MATCMET 

piQ, i,_Wood working tools you should have. 

jnstable opening and also see that it has a lateral 
adjustment for the cutter. A Stanley plane is a good 
one to buy and get one that has a l|-inch cutter and 

is 7 inches long. 

(f ) Smooth PZane.— This is made just like a steel 
jack plane only it is much shorter, being about 9 
inches in length ; it has a cutter 2^ inches wide and 

3 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

it weighs 3J pounds. It is especially adapted for 
planing soft woods. 

(g) Firmer Chisels. — These are ordinary flat 
chisels and they can be had in all widths from ^ inch 
up to 2 inches. A couple of chisels will be enough 
to start with and these should be \ inch and J i^ich 
in width respectively. These chisels are usually 
ground sharp and are honed ready for use when 
bought. The Ohio Tool Company makes good chisels 
and gouges. 

(h) Firmer Gouges. — These gouges should be 
beveled outside and get them with \ and ^ inch blades. 
Like the chisels they are ground sharp and honed 
before they leave the factory. 

(i) Brace and Bits. — A plain brace and three 
bits, \, f and -J inch in diameter, will be found the 
most useful. Other sizes can be added as they are 
needed. 

(j) Gimlets. — A large and a small gimlet will 
come in handy to start screws, etc. 

(k) Lathing Hatchet or Boy Scout Ax. — A lath- 
ing hatchet with a 2J-inch blade is a handy tool to 
have around but I like a Boy Scout's ax better. You 
can take your choice. 

(1) Try Square. — Get a try square with a handle 
having a brass face plate and a blade 7J inches long. 

(m) Two-Foot Rule. — -A regular carpenter's box- 
wood two-foot, four-fold rule divided into 8ths, lOths, 
12ths and 16ths scales is the kind you want. 

(n) Nail Set. — A nail set is a bit of hardened 

4 



TOOLS EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE 

steel with, an oval top and a concave tip. The B 
size, which has a tip of g^ inch, is a good size where 
only one set is used. 

(o) Washita Oilstone. — This oilstone is the best 
for sharpening wood working tools. It should be 
perfectly white, hard, of even, nniform texture and 
free from foreign substances. A stone 2 by 5 inches 
is a good size. 

(p) Bench Vise. — A carpenter's bench vise is not 
an absolute necessity provided you have a regular 
machinist's vise. I shall tell you about the latter 
under the heading of Metal Working Tools. 

How to Use Wood Working Tools. — Like 
everything else worth while, to become an adept in the 
use of tools requires practice. If you are a beginner 
in the craft of wood working here are a few hints 
that will start you off right and then you must do 
the rest with your brain and hands. 

In using a hammer grasp the handle about 2 inches 
from the end and not too tightly. As you swing the 
hammer toward the nail it gathers force when held 
freely and not only is a harder blow struck but it 
does not jolt the arm. 

When starting to saw a board place the teeth of 
the saw on the edge where you want to saw it. Hold 
the board with your left hand close to the saw and 
raise your thumb until it rests against the side of 
the blade of the saw as shown on Fig. 2, when it will 
act as a guide and keep it from slipping. 

Molding for picture frames, electric light wires or 

5 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

strips of any kind which are to be sawed off perfectly 
square or to fit comers should be sawed in the miter- 
box with the hack saw, A block, or a smooth plane, 
should be set flat on the surface of the work that 
is to be planed and the pressure on the plane should 




Fig. 2, — The right way to start a saw. 

be applied equally, that is if it is already true and 
you want to smooth it up. 

A chisel is used to cut out mortises and make 
grooves and it can be used to smooth up places which 
you cannot reach with a plane; it should always be 
held with the beveled edge out and up from the sur- 
face it is cutting and this is also true of gouges. Fig. 
3 shows the proper way to use it. 

To bore a"Tk)le straight and true with a brace and 
bit start it and then sigM the bit from the point and 

6 



TOOLS EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE 

on the side to see that it is plumb and hold it as 
shown in Fig. 4. 

A gimlet is good to make holes for starting screws, 
but whatever you do don't drive screws with a ham- 
mer. Bore out holes in hard wood with a gimlet, 




Fig. 3. — The proper waj to hold a chisel. 



or a drill, before driving in screws with a screw 
driver. 

In chipping or chopping with a hatchet, or Boy 
Scout ax, hold it quite firmly so that it will not slip. 
WTiere the work is exposed or where it is to be 
painted afterward sink the heads of the nails into 
the wood with a nail set. Use wire nails and rub 
the ends of them with a piece of soap before driving 
as this will make them go in easier and the wood 
less liable to split. 

7 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

Finally whenever you start a job mark out the 
work carefully with your try square and make every 
measurement accurately vnth your rule, for more 
botched jobs result from the lack of care than from 
the unskillful use of tools. So think first and then 
go ahead. 




Fig. 4. — The correct way to bore a hole. 

How to Sharpen Wood Working Tools. — To 

do good work all edged tools must be kept sharp. To 
sharpen your saws yourself you will need a hand saw 
taper file, a saw vise (35c.) and a saw set (70c.). If 
you are a beginner it is just as well to let a saw-filer 
keep your saws in order. 

The cutters of your planes and your chisels are 
sharpened on your Washita oilstone. Put a few 
drops of machine oil on the stone and hold the cutter, 

8 



TOOLS EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE 

or chisel, so tliat the beveled edge lies flat on the 
stone, press hard on the out stroke and ease np on the 

back stroke. 

Metal Working Tools— While nearly every 
household has a few carpenter's tools very few of 
them can boast of any machinist's tools and yet the 
latter are indispensable where odd jobs of all kinds 
are to be done. The following metal working tools 
are the most needful : 

TOOL ^^'^ 

(a) Jeweler^s hammer $ -^ 

(b) Machinist's hammer 50 

(c) Center punch 1^ 

(d) Cold chisel 20 

(e) Tinner's snips ^^ 

(f ) Drill stock and drills 1-15 

(Drills about 10c. each.) 

(g) Hack-saw frame and saws 1-00 

(h) Gasohne torch 3.50 

(i) Soldering copper ^ 

( j ) Flat nose, side cutting pliers 75 

(k) Long nose pliers 2o 

( 1 ) Round nose pliei-s 25 

(m) Monkey wrench 50 

(n) Screw drivers 15, .30 

(o) Files, 4" long 10, .15 

(p ) Spring dividers 50 

(q) Boy Scout knife 75 

(r) Oil cans 10, .15 

(s) Carbonindum oilstone 1-50 

(t) Taps and dies 3.25 

(u) Machinist's vise 1-50 

9 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 



(a) Jewelers Hammer, — This is a very small loll 
peining hammer weighing only 3 ounces. It is made 




m 



c CENTER PUNCH 



«J COLD CHISEL 




o- JEWELERS HAMMER ^ ,^cH\N5SfS 

HAMMER 



«-5PftlNG 
DIVIDERS 




«-TINNERS SNIPS 





O 
f HAND DRILL 



TWIST DRILL 




:tec 



3. HACK SAW 





»v6AS0LmE TORCH 



<:=C3 




i-SOLDERlNG COPPER 

n- MACHINISTS 

SCREW DRIVER 



j-FLATNOSE SIDE 

CUTTING PLIERS 




'V LONG NOSE 
PLIERS 



THREE SQUARE TAPER FILE 
w-MONKEY WRENCM^ =^ 

oROUND OR RAT TAIL FILE 



<^rii:!cL^^_£^ 




I- ROUND NOSE PLIERS 



P- BOY SCOUT KNIFE q HAND OR FLAT FiL£ 





33: 



1^ 



J- CARBORUNDUM OILSTONE 



t 




:i^ 



rOILCAN 




t-SETOFTAPSAND DIES 
uMACHlNISTS VISE 



Fig. 5. — Metal working tools you need. 

10 



TOOLS EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE 

exactly like a machinist's hammer and is very useful 
for all kinds of light work. It is shown in Fig. 5. 

(b) Machinist's Hammer. — This is a hall peining 
hammer made of cast steel. It should weigh about 

I pound. 

(c) Center Punch, — A center punch is used to 
accurately make a dent in a piece of metal work at a 
given point so that it can be scribed, drilled, etc. 

(d) Cold Chisels. — These are used for chipping 
off pieces of iron, cutting through metals, etc. Get 
two sizes ^ and ^ inch in diameter which are 4 
inches and 5f inches long respectively. 

(e) Tinner s Snips. — These are large shears for 
cutting thin sheet metal of all kinds. A pair of snips 

II inches long and having a cut 2^ inches long is an 
easy size to handle. They should be made of forged 
steel. 

(f) Drill StocTc and Drills. — A drill stock is a 
device for rotating the drills at a goodly speed. The 
handles of most drill stocks are made hollow and 
contain half-a-dozen fluted drills; these are good 
enough for drilling wood but Morse twist drills 
should be used for drilling metals. 

(g) HacJc-saw Frame and Saws. — This is a tool 
for sawing metals. Get a frame that is adjustable 
so that it will take a saw blade from 6 to 12 inches 
long and then buy half-a-dozen 8-inch saw blades 
for it. 

(h) Gasoline Torch. — This kind of a torch is a 
necessary part of every kit of tools. The tank holds 

11 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

about a pint and the torch weighs about If pounds. 

(i) Soldering Copper, — Buy a small one weigh- 
ing 5 or 6 ounces. It will be about 12 inches long 
and it should be made of pure copper which is then 
tinned, A ^-pound bundle of wire solder and a 2- 
ounce can of soldering paste for the jiux will serve 
most purposes. 

(j) Flat-nose, Side-cutting Pliers. — A pair of reg- 
ular telegraph pliers 7 inches long and hand-forged 
will give you good service for all round work. 

(k) Flat-nose Pliers, — A 4-inch pair of pliers of 
this pattern are useful to hold metals with when sol- 
dering and in many other ways. 

(1) Bound-nose Pliers. — These are used for bend- 
ing wire and sheet metal into rings and other shapes. 
A 4'inch pair is a good size. 

(m) Monkey Wrench, — This is the well-known 
adjustable wrench invented by Charles Monkey. Get 
the kind known as a machinist's screw wrench and 
you will have a good one. An 8-inch wrench is large 
enough. 

(n) Screw Drivers. — Two screw drivers are 
needed, a small one with a blade 2J inches long, ^ 
inch wide and sharp for small screws, and a large one 
with a blade 6 inches long, f inch wide and blunt for 
large screws. These screw drivers can be used for 
either wood or machine screws. 

(o) Files. — Files are used for cutting away and 
smoothing up metal objects. Four files are needed 
and these are (a) two hand files; (b) a rouiid file, 

12 



TOOLS EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE 

and (c) a three square (three-cornered) file. For 
the small hand file get one 4 inches long and smooth 
cut for finishing flat surfaces, and get a large hand 
file 8 inches long and single bastard cut for rough 
work. A 5-inch round or rat-tailed file for enlarg- 
ing round holes and a 5 -inch three square, double cut 
file for clearing out sharp corners, filing internal an- 
gles, etc., will complete the list. 

(p) Spring Dividers. — These are used to scribe 
circles on wood, metal and leather as well as for spac- 
ing. A pair of 4-inch spring dividers with either a 
spring or a solid nut will do for all small work. 

(q) Boy Scout Knife. — Though hardly a machin- 
ist's tool it is first, last and all the time a useful tool. 
So get one. 

(r) Oil Cans. — A brass or zinc oiler about 3 inches 
in diameter filled with the best sewing machine oil 
should be kept within easy reach. A poor grade of 
oil gets gummy and defeats the very purpose for 
which it is intended. A sewing machine oiler is also 
a convenient thing to have. 

(s) Carborundum ^ Stone. — The India oilstone is 
made of carborundum, the hardest and sharpest of 
all known abrasives, the diamond alone excepted, and 
hence it makes the fastest cutting oilstone. A good 
size is IJxlfxS inches, and it should be mounted 
in a box to protect it from dust. 

(t) Taps and Dies. — A set of taps and dies should 
be in everyone's kit of tools, for with them you can 
^ Carborundum is an electric furnace product. 

13 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

cut threads on metal rods, rethread machine screws, 
cut threads in nuts and tap out holes of all kinds. A 
1^0. 1 set of machinist's taps includes a stock 7 inches 
long to hold the dies and tap wrench. There are five 
tap cutting threads, i, /^, A, /^ and ^ inch. The 
threads of the dies are the same in number and size 
as the taps. 

(u) MacJiinisfs Vise, — A bench vise with steel 
jaws 2^ inches wide fitted with a swivel base and 
chill hardened anvil can be bought for as little as 
$1.50. Better vises can, of course, be had for more 
money. 

(v) Other Tools. — Some other tools will be needed 
for special purposes, but you can buy these as you 
have occasion to use them. 

How to Use Metal Working Tools. — To cut 

thin sheet metal with a pair of snips hold them in 
your hand, but if the sheet is rather thick let the 
lower blade of the snips rest on your bench, as this 
gives you more leverage than when the snips are held 
free. 

When drilling holes, especially with a small drill, 
be careful not to press down too hard or you will 
surely break it. 

Care must be taken in using gasoline for the torch, 
as the former is highly inflammable. To heat the 
soldering copper make a frame of J-inch iron wire, as 
shown in Fig. 6, to lay the copper on and so that its 
tip will be held directly in the flame of the torch. 

Keep the copper well tinned, and this can be 

14 



TOOLS EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE 

done by filing it off occasionally, then heat it and 
rub it on a pine board on which you have placed 
some yellow resin and bits of solder. The copper 
will soon take on a bright coating of tin. 

When filing metals press down on the file on the 




Fig. 6. — A wire holder for your soldering iron. A. How 
it is used. B. How it is made. 



out stroke and lift the file clear of the work on the 
back stroke. If the work is secured in a vise and a 
large file is used hold the tip of the latter with your 
left hand, as this will enable you to apply more pres- 
sure and the file can be held in position better. 

To scribe circles with the dividers see to it that 
the points are kept true and sharp, and if they are 
spring dividers always open them when you have fin- 
ished, as this prevents fatigue of the spring. Be- 

15 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

fore using the dividers always indent the starting 
point with the center punch first. 

When cutting threads with either taps or dies 
don't attempt to turn the stock in which the tap or 
the die is held just as though you were putting in a 
screw or screwing on a nut. The safe way is to give 
the stock a half turn and then turn it back a half 




A-VUOOD CHEEKS 
FOR VISE JAWS 





B-LEAO CHEEKS 
FOR VISE JAWS 



C-SHOWIMC CHEEKS 
on JAWS 

Pig. 7. — ^A vise with wood and lead cheeks. 



turn, now give it a full turn and turn it back half a 
turn, for in this way a double cut is mada Use 
plenty of machine oil when threading iron or soft 
steel. 

Should the machinist's vise be used for holding 
woodwork make two angle cheeks of wood as shown 
at A in Fig. 7 ; by putting these on the jaws of the 
vise the rough surfaces cannot mar the work that ia 
held in it Where fine metal parts are to be held in 

16 



TOOLS EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE 

the vise make a pair of cHeeks by bending over a 
couple of pieces of sheet lead and placing these on the 
jaws as shown at B in Fig. 7. 
Taking Care of Your Tools. — The best way to 

keep tools nice and bright is to use them. Rub up all 
the polished steel parts with machine oil and pow- 
dered pumice stone whenever you think they need 
it and sometimes oftener, and wipe off all of the 
tools with a clean cloth or a bit of waste. 

Your Workshop. — It is not at all necessary to 
keep your tools in a box or a drawer if you have a 
shop where you can safely leave them. If not then 
make a cabinet with a pair of hinged doors, fit it with 
a lock and key and screw it to the wall. Arrange a 
place for every tool so that you can instantly get at it. 

Your workshop may be a room of any size any- 
where in the house, barn or garage. A basement is 
a poor place for a shop because it is usually badly 
lighted, often damp and seldom ventilated properly. 

An attic room is better, but to be of the greatest 
service your shop should be an easily accessible place, 
with plenty of sunshine and air, which is cool in 
summer and warm in winter. In this room build up 
your bench and fasten your vise to it within a foot or 
two of the left-hand end. 

You can easily make a bench by using 2x4 scant- 
lings for the legs and 2-inch thick boards for the 
top. The legs can be braced with furring strips, 
which are strips 1 inch thick, 2 inches wide and 12 
feet long. The bench should be about 2 feet 8 inches 

17 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

high, 2 to 3 feet wide and from 4 to 6 feet long. It 
can be nailed or screwed together. 

Make a couple of drawers for the bench, fix up 
some shelves over it and put up hooks and holders 
for such tools as can be taken care of in this way. 
Half the pleasure in doing a job around the house is 



I^ 



wm 



I 




^ 



Pig. 8. — A good bench. 



to know just where to lay your hand on the tools and 
tho material you need, and for this reason you 
should, after every job, put everything in its place. 
A work bench like the one pictured in Fig. 8 can be 
bought for less than $10.00. 

With the tools I have described you are ready to 
tackle any kind of a job from making a dutchman 
to opening a jewel box. 

18 



TOOLS EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE 

Materials You Need. — The materials you will 
need in the course of your operations will be many 
and varied, but a good plan is to buy the things as 
you need them, put the surplus away in separate 
boxes, except wire, label them and set them on the 
shelves in plain sight. Then when you want a J-inch 
brass screw or a few upholsterer's tacks you will 
know exactly where to find them. 



CHAPTER II 
INDOOR MECHANICS 

Having the tools to do things with and a shop to 
do them in you are fit and ready to begin actual work, 
and it won^t make very much difference where jou 
start as you will always find enough to keep you 
busy. 

How to Clean a Clock. — Clocks stop more often 
because they need cleaning than because they are 
broken, and a clock-maker will charge nearly as much 
to either clean or fix a cheap clock as a new one costs. 

Take for instance an alarm clock. I know a fam- 
ily where they have half-a-dozen standing on a shelf 
and then they have to depend on a neighbor's rooster 
to wake them up. To clean an alarm clock you begin 
by taking the works out of the case. To do this un- 
screw the two legs at the bottom of the case; next 
unscrew the bell which carries the alarm stop with 
it, and unscrew the thumb screw that winds up the 
main spring, the thumb screw that winds up the 
alarm spring, the thumb screw that sets the hands, 
and the thumb screw that sets the alarm. 

In cheap alarm clocks, as in A, Fig. 9, thumb nuts 
with slots cut in them are used instead of thumb 
screws for setting the hands and alarm, and you can 

20 



INDOOR MECHANICS 

pull them off with vonr pliers. With these off, the 
back of the clock can be removed when the works are 
exposed. 




Fig. 9. — A. An ordinary alarm clock. 

Take the works out of the case as shown at B in 
Fig. 9, and be careful not to break the crystal. ISText 
take off the minute, hour and alarm hands and the 
face. You will find the works screwed to an iron 




Pig. 9.— B. The clock taken out of its case. 

plate, and this should also be unscrewed and laid 
aside; finally let the main spring and alarm spring 
run down so that the coils are as far apart as pos- 
sible. 

21 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

You do not need to take the works apart to clean 
them, but put them in either a strong alkaline solu- 
tion or in benzine. To make an alkaline cleaning 
solution put one tablespoonful of liquid ammonia in 
two quarts of water and dissolve a lump of pure 
castile soap as large as a hen's egg in it; mix thor- 
oughly in an earthenware bowl or jar. 

Immerse the works in this solution for an hour, 
remove them, set them where the wind will blow on 
them for ten minutes and then put them in a warm 
oven to expel the remaining moisture. When thor- 
oughly dry oil the pinions by touching them with the 
end of a tooth-pick dipped in machine oil. Don't 
use too much oil and never use kerosene as it soon 
gums up and stops the clock. 

Another way is to soak the works in half a gallon 
of benzine over night. When they are taken out the 
benzine will evaporate very quickly and the pinions 
can then be slightly oiled. Bear in mind that benzine 
is a first cousin of gasoline and should never he used 
at night or near a fiame. 

To Keep a Carpet Sweeper in Order. — An 

up-to-date carpet sweeper is simplicity itself. It con- 
sists of ( 1 ) a revolving brush which is turned by the 
wheels resting on the floor, (2) two dirt pans, one on 
each side of the brush, and (3) a lever so that the 
pans which are pivoted can be swung open and the 
sweepings removed. 

The wheels seldom get out of order, but the brush 
requires care to get the best service from the sweeper. 

22 



INDOOR MECHANICS 

If you will examine tlie brush you will find tliat 
there are ^yo or more serpentine rows of bristles on 
it. When the brush gets clogged with ravelings don't 
try to pull them out until you have cut them so that 
the spaces between the rows of bristles are clear and 
open. 

To clean the bristles dissolve a piece of washing 
soda as large as an egg in a couple of quarts of water. 
Dip the bristles into the solution, taking pains to 
keep the wood part of the brush as dry as possible. 
When the bristles are clean wash the brush in clear, 
cold water and set it in the sun to dry. Don't wipe 
the bristles, as this will soften them. 

The only parts of a sweeper that should be oiled 
are the bearings that the brush sets in and the 
wheels, and use only a drop on each part. The right 
way to use a sweeper is to press lightly on the handle 
and run it with smooth, even strokes. Pressing hard 
does not take up any more dirt and only tends to 
wear out the brush. 

Fixing an Oil-Stove.— When a Uue-flame oil 
stove smokes or burns red instead of with a clear blue 
flame the good house-wife generally thinks it is caused 
by the wicks. 

This untoward condition is usually due instead to 

(1) either water in the long feed pipe of the stove, 

(2) an obstruction either in the long feed pipe of 
the tanks or the short feed pipes of the burners which 
supplies oil to the wicks, or (3) the rusting of the 
valve which regulates the flow of oil to the burners. 

23 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

To keep the stove in order it is a good scheme to 
clean it once every month or so. To do this lift the 
oil tank from the pipe. Get a piece of telegraph, or 
other stout wire, about 6 feet long and push it 
through the feed pipe until it sticks out of the other 
end and work the wire back and forth several times. 
Put a pint of ammonia in a couple of quarts of hot 
water and pour it into and through the feed pipe. 

Take out the burner and remove the asbestos wick. 
On each side of the burner vou will see a small hole, 
and to clean them out run a thin piece of wire about 
8 inches long clear through the holes. Wash the 
burner in the ammonia water until it is perfectly 
clean and dry it. 

Set the burner back in place and tilt the stove so 
that all of the water in the feed pipe will run out. 
Unscrew the valve wheel and at the end of the valve 
rod you will observe it is pointed and smooth for 
about f of an inch. Rub up this end with a piece of 
fine emery paper and screw it back into place. 

Screw the cap on the end of the feed pipe; put a 
strainer into the other end of the pipe, fill the tank 
with kerosene and it will work like a new stove. 

To Solder Tinware. — It is easy to solder new tin 
by using remi or soldering paste for the flux, but to 
solder pots and pans that have been used the surest 
way is to make a soldering fluid by dissolving some 
clippings cut from a sheet of zinc in an ounce of 
muriaiic acid and add a tablespoonful of water to it. 

Do this out-of-doors and drop in a few clippings 

24 



INDOOR MECHANICS 

at a time and further keep the solution well away 
from your tools as the fumes will quicUy rust them. 

Mending a Leaky Kettle. — The first thing to do ia 
to find the leaks. To do this hold the kettle between 
your eyes and the light, and if the holes are fairly 
large you can easily see them ; if they are small fill 
the vessel full of water, when a tiny drop will soon 
form on the outside over the hole. 

Having found the hole scrape the metal all around 
it as clean as a hound's tooth. See to it that your 
soldering copper is well tinned and hot enough so 
that it will instantly melt the solder when it comes in 
contact with it. 

Rub the soldering fluid over the brightened sur- 
face with a bit of a pine stick cut flat on one end like 
a paddle and the acid will cut off the grease and dirt 
which would otherwise prevent the solder from 
sticking. 

Now hold the solder in your left hand with the 
end of it over the hole, and with the soldering copper 
in your right hand melt the solder with it as shown 
in Fig. 10. The solder will instantly begin to flow, 
and if you have followed the above instructions it will 
fill the hole and stay there. 

Making a New Spout, — Should the spout of a tea 
or coffee pot melt off scrape the edges of it and the 
surface of the pot where it fits, clean and bright, and 
brush it over with the soldering fluid. You can then 
hold the spout on the pot and run a line of solder 
round the edge with your copper. 

25 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

To put on a new spout take off the old one first ; 
the easiest way to do this is to melt a little solder in 
the seam just as though you were soldering it on. 
The instant the solder melts slip the point of your 
knife between the spout and the pot and as fast as 
you melt the solder follow it up with your knife until 
it drops off. 




Pig. 10. — It i8 easy to solder tinware. 



Flatten out the old spout, lay it on a new piece of 
tin and scribe it with the sharp point of your center 
punch. Cut it out with your snips and bend it to 
shape on a broom-handle. !N'ow try it on the pot, 
trim up the edges until it makes a good fit and solder 

it OSL 

Mending a Window Shade Roller.— It's a 

26 



INDOOR MECHANICS 

little thing, but when it won't work what a hubbub it 
raises. A window shade that won't go up is eveB 
worse than one that won't stay down. 

When the Shade Wont Go Up. — ^When a shade 
refuses to roll up properly it means that the spring 
is unwound, that it won't catch or that it is broken. 
If it is either of the first two troubles it is easy 
enough to fix. 

First draw the shade down about a foot, then take 
the roller from the brackets, roll the shade up by 
hand, and replace the roller in the brackets. Try it 
and if it doesn't work pull the shade down a 
couple of feet, roll it up by hand, put it back and 
try it out again. Repeat this operation until the 
spring is wound up tight enough to make it seK- 
acting. 

When the Shade Wont Stay Doum. — This trouble 
is caused by the spring being too stxong and conse- 
quently the shade either rolls up at such speed the 
pawls at the end of the roller haven't time to drop 
into the slots and so lock it, or if the shade is rolled 
up slowly the spring is so strong the pawls are forced 
out of the slots. Fig. 11 shows the ratchet mechan- 
ism of a shade roller. 

To weaken the spring take the roller from the 
brackets with the shade rolled completely up and then 
unwind the shade a foot or so and replace the roller 
in the brackets. If the shade still has a tendency to 
roll up without stopping take the roller out, unwind 
the shade a couple of feet, put it up and try it out 

27 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 



again. 



Keep on lengthening the shade until the 
spring has the right tension. 

Sometimes dust keeps the pawls from acting prop- 
erly, and if this is removed and the joints of the 
pawls are oiled a trifle thej will work freely. If the 




SPRING 
FASTEMEO 
HERE 



BRASS CAP 

/^■\ WHICH PRE- 
/ /\VE/MTS RAT- 
I n ICBETFRO^V 

^\j DAr^AO-ED 

X ^EnD OF 

^^X'URTAin POLE 
r^ GOES \(i HERE 



^ 



^WIMOOW 
BRACKET 



Fig. 11. — X-ray view of a window shade roller. 



spring is broken it is cheaper to buy a new one than 
it is to repair it. 

New Shears for Old.— Shears that have good 
blades very often become useless either because the 
screw that holds the blades together or the threaded 
holes in the blades are worn out or the blades have 
been sprung. 

Cut out of spring brass, or of phosphor bronze, ^V 
inch thick, a strip | inch wide and If inches long; 
file it down so that it tapers at both ends ; drill a ^- 

28 



INDOOR MECHANICS 

incli tole through the middle and bend it as shown at 
A in Fig. 12. 

Take the old screw out of the shears and put a 6-32 
machine screw J an inch long through the holes in 
the blades and then through the hole in the brass 
spring and screw on a nut as shown in Fig. 12. 
Tighten up the latter until the tension on the blades 
is just enough to make them cut easily. The spring 




THE TE/^sion sPRirro- 

B on THE SHEARS 



^=^ A 

\m I" W 

THE SPRinO 

Fig. 12. — New shears for old. 

compensates for any irregularities of the blades and 
you will have a pair of new shears for old. 

The Right Way to Sharpen Knives. — There 
are two kinds of dull knives, and these are (a) knives 
that are slightly dull and (b) knives that have nicks 
in them. 

A knife that has merely lost its keen edge can be 
sharpened on a carborundum oilstone. Hold the knife 
so that the blade lies nearlv flat on the stone, as shown 
at A in Fig. 13 ; now press lightly on the blade and 

29 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

draw it along in the direction of the arrows the 
length of the stone. 

When you have reached the end of the stroke turn 
the blade over, as shown at B, and pressing with an 
equal force draw the cutting edge in the direction of 
the arrows until the other end of the stone is reached. 

You can tell by the feel of the edge of the blade 
with your thumb whether it is sufficiently sharp, but 
never draw your thumb along the blade when trying 




Fig. 13. — How to eharpen a knife. 

it. A better way to test the cutting qualities is to 
hold a piece of stiff paper in your hand and slice it 
with the knife. 

When a knife is very dull or has nicks in it, it 
should be sharpened on a grindstone, or if this is 
not to be had then use a whetstone (lOc), and when 
the edge is ground even it can then be sharpened on 
an oilstone, or honed, as it is called. 

Never use a file or an emery wheel on a Jcnife or 
any hind of a wood-cutting tool, for the first will put 
a burr on it and the second will take the temper out 
of it 

30 



INDOOR MECHANICS 
How to Repair Your Bicycle. — There are 

about five things that happen to a bicycle to put it 
out of commission which you can repair, and these 
are (1) loose handles on bar; (2) punctured tire; 
(3) bent or broken spoke; (4) broken link in chain, 
and (5) crooked rear wheel. 

When the handles get loose and keep slipping off, 

JHIS BOLT STRAIGHTENS 

WHEEL 




Fig. 14. — Making bicycle repairs. 



clean the inside of them and wipe off the ends of the 
bars; now smear the ends of the latter with thick 
shellac varnish, push the handles on tight and let the 
varnish dry thoroughly before touching the handles 
again. 

There are several ways to -^x a punctured single- 
tube tire, but either of the following is good. The 
first way is to use a rubber plug as shown at A or B 
in Pig. 14. Whichever kind of rubber plug you use 
smear it with rubber cement — it can be bought at 
any bicycle store — ^force the large end through the 

31 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

hole in the tire, holding the nipple on the outside and 
then piimp np the tire, when the pressure of the air 
will keep it in place. The strings shown at B make 
it easy to hold the end of the plug, which should be 
trimmed off flush with the tire. Another kind of 
plug is shown at C in Eig. 14, and is made entirely 
of metal. The part that goes through the hole looks 
like a cuff button and a bent threaded brass rod on 
which a nut is screwed sets loosely in a slot in the 
oval button and this allows it to be turned in any di- 
rection. After the button is in the hole the nut is 
screwed down tightly and the projecting brass rod is 
cut off with a pair of pliers. 

If a spoTce is hent it can usually be straightened, 
but if it is broken the tire must be taken off and then 
you can unscrew the spindle-shaped nut which holds 
the spoke in place and whose end sets in the groove of 
the rim and is flush with it. When the nut is re- 
moved the bent end of the spoke which sets in the hub 
can be slipped out, the spoke taken out and a new one 
can be put in. 

Sometimes a link iii the chain ivill break and it is 
a good plan to always have a couple of reserve links 
in your tool bag. One of these links is shown at D 
in Fig. 14. The top bar can be taken off to put the 
link in the chain, and to keep the bar on there is a 
pivoted and slotted bar lock; the slots of the latter 
are set in the grooved ends of the spindle and when 
these are in place the end with the hole in it is sprung 
over the end of the spindle and this holds it fast. 

32 



INDOOR MECHANICS 

Should the rear wheel run crooked it can be ad- 
justed by screwing up the nuts shown at E in Fig. 
14 until it is straight, or in alignment as it is called. 

To Keep a Sewing Machine in Repair.— 

A little drop of oil, 

A little bit of care, 
Saves a lot of toil. 

Also a lot of wear. 

To make a sewing machine work well is largely 
a matter of taking proper care of it, and this means 
that it must be kept clean and well oiled. 

(1) After running the machine for a while the 
oil will become gummy and thick. In that case the 
machine oil should be run out with benzine, and 
when the old oil is cut wipe all of the parts off thor- 
oughly with a clean rag. This done, oil the machine 
again with the best machine oil, and this you can 
buy at any sewing machine store. 

(2) If the stand does not run easily free it with 
benzine as described above; (3) see that the belt is 
sufficiently tight to drive the machine and (4) tighten 
up all screws and nuts. 

(5) When the feed of a machine does not work 
properly it is often caused by lint from the goods 
choking it up, and this is very apt to result where 
soft dress goods are sewed. 

(6) To obtain a perfect stitch the upper and lower 
threads should be of the same size. 

33 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

(7) The tensions largely determine the quality of 
the stitching and these should pull the stitch equally 
on each side. (8) If the thread lies in loops on the 
upper surface the upper tension is too tight, while 
if loops are formed underneath, the upper tension is 
too loose. (9) If the shuttle has a tension spring 
and it is out replace it with a new one. 

(10) That part of the machine which carries the 
goods along is called the feed. The feed should be' 
timed so that it will begin to carry the goods forward 
when the needle is well out of the work but not late 
enough to permit the needle to pass into the goods 
again before the feed has completed its forward 
movement. 

(11) Among the causes of uneven feeding are, 
(a) too low a feed; (b) the feed parts worn too 
much, and (c) not enough pressure on the presser 
foot. 

(12) A frequent trouble is the breaking of needles, 
and this is often caused by the needle touching or 
striking the needle plate or the shuttle; the remedy 
for this is to see that the needle works perfectly 
straight up and down. 

(13) ^Needles break also because the needle plate- 
is too small ; the edge of the needle plate hole is too 
square, in which case you can bevel it off with emery 
cloth ; the needle is too small and hence cannot stand 
up under the strain ; the hook is too late ; the presser 
foot is too close to the needle, and, finally, the needle- 
bar is too low. 

34 



INDOOR MECHANICS 



(14) When the upper thread keeps breaking it is 
generally due to the needle being tcK> small or the 
thread too large; too sharp an edge through which 
the thread passes, and this is often at the thread 
guides, and finally, that the needle is set too high or 
too low. 



PRES5ER BAR 

PRESSURE REGULATJNG, 
THUMB SCREVy 

PRESSERBAR 
SPRING-. 

PRE5SER 
BAR 
LIFTER 

SLACK 

THREAD 

REGULATO 

THREAD ^ ,, 

CUTTEfTN .4 
FOOT THUM Bill' 
SCREW 

fRESSER 
FOOT 

05CILLATI 
hook: 



THREAD TAKE OP LEVER ^_^ „^ 
ARM SPOOL PTN 
FEED CAM 




BOBBIN WINDER 

FEED REG-ULATOtt 
THUMB SCKEV/ 
FEED FORKED 

NNECTIOM 



05CILLATI 



BEl> 
OSCILLATING- HOOK 
HOOK CRANK PITMAN 

OSCILLATING HOOK BELL CRANK 

Fig. 15. — Parts of a sewing machine. 



(15) Missed stitches are often caused by a bent 
needle or a bent needle bar; when the needle is not 
set straight in the bar; the needle striking the side 
of the pressor foot or the needle plate ; the needle be- 
ing too large or too small for the cloth; not enongh 
pressure on the pressor foot ; the needle being set too 
high or too low or the shuttle moving too fast or too 

35 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 





Proper Sizes of Needles and 


Thread. 


Sizes of 
Needles. 


Class of Work to Sew. 


Sizes of Cotton, 
Linen or Silk. 





Very thin Muslin, Cambrics, 
Linen, etc. 


100 toll50 Cotton, 

000, 00 Silk 

Twist. 


B 


Very fine Calicoes, Linens, Shirt- 
ings, Fine Silk Goods, etc. 


80 to 100 Cotton, 
Silk Twist. 


¥2 


Shirtings, Sheetings, Bleached 

CaHcoes, MusHns, Silk and 

general domestic goods 

and all classes of 

general work. 


60 to 80 Cotton, 

A & B Silk 

Twist. 


X 


All kinds of heavy Cahcoes, hght 

Woolen Goods, heavy Silk, 

Seaming, Stitching, etc. 


40 to 60 Cotton, 
C Silk Twist. 


2 


Tickings, Woolen Goods, Trous- 
ers, Boys' Clothing, Corsets, 
Cloaks, Mantles, etc. 


30 to 40 Cotton, 
D Silk Twist. 


3 


Heavy Woolens, Tickings, Bags, 

Heavy Coats, Trousers, etc. 

Heavy Clothing generally. 


24 to 30 Cotton, 

E Silk Twist. 
60 to 80 Lmen. 


4 


Bags, Coarse Clothes, Heavy 
Goods of any texture. 


40 to 60 Linen or 

very Coarse 

Cotton. 



slow. In any event use the best thread and the best 
needles and some of the troubles will take wings unto 
themselves and fly away. Fig. 15 shows all the parts 
of a Singer sewing machine. 

Caution (1). — Never run the machine with the 
presser-f oot resting on the feed without cloth between 
them. 

36 



INDOOR MECHANICS 

Caution (2). — Practice upon strips of cloth and 
do not attempt practical sewing until you can guide 
the goods and at the same time produce a regular 
motion of the machine. 

Caution (3). — Do not try to help the machine hy 
pulling the goods, for this is apt to bend the needle ; 
the machine moves the work without any assistance. 

Caution (4). — Never run the machine when both 
the shuttle and the needle are threaded except while 
you are sewing. 



CHAPTEE III 
BE YOUR OWN LOCKSMITH 

How to Fix a Door Knob. — A loose door knob 
is very annoying and being no respecter of persons 
every household has one sooner or later. 

The reason door knobs work loose is because the 



SET.SCRE.W 




K^OB 
SHANK^ 

^\ ESCUTCHEOff 
^ PLATE 



Fig. 16. — Phantom view of a door knob. 

threads of the screw which hold the knob on the 
spindle or the threads in the spindle, or both, wear 
off. See Fig. 16. To tighten the knob tap out the 
screw hole, slip one or more washers over the spindle 
close up to the escutcheon plate, put the handle on 
the spindle again and screw in a new screw. 

How a Lock is Made.— To know how to pick a 

38 



BE YOUR OWN LOCKSMITH 

lock or how to make a key for a lock the first thing 
you should do is to learn how a lock is made. 

Door Lochs. — Ordinary door locks are of two 
kinds, and these are (1) rim locks, and (2) mortise 
locks. A rim lock is the kind that is screwed to the 



LATCH BOLT 



LATCM 
BOLT 

DEAD 

BOLT 

SPRING 



ftnCL 

OR DEA0 

BOLT 




FACE--* 



^P^ 



O 



BITTING O 
OF KEY ^ ^ 

GOES HERE 




LOCK CASE 

-TAILPIECE 
HUB 

-HEEL OF 
TAILPIECE 

L£VER. 
TU/^BLER 



KEY MOLE 

Pig. 17. — The inside of a door lock. 



outside of the door, while a mortise lock is set in a 
mortise in the edge of the door. 

The advantages of a mortise lock over a rim lock 
are (1) that there are no unsightly projecting parts; 
(2) it cannot be broken off by pressure applied to 
the outside, and (3) it cannot be tampered with from 

the inside. 

39 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

These ordinary door locks are of the lever-tumbler 
type, that is, the lock is worked by one or more piv- 
oted levers, or tumblers, the construction of which is 
clearly shown in Fig. 17. The simplest form of this 
lock has only three parts, and these are (1) a bolt, 
called a dead-bolt; (2) a lever-tumbler, and (3) a 
spring. In some locks (A) the lever rests on top of 
the bolt, and in others (B) the bolt rests on top of 
the lever, and but for this small difference they are 
quite alike. 

A matter of a little more importance is that in a 
lock of the first, or (A) kind, the ward notch, or hit- 
ting, as locksmiths call it, slips over the lever and 
the bit of the key forces the latter up and throws the 
bolt over, while in the second or (B) kind the ward 
notch slips over the bar of the bolt and the bit then 
raises the lever and throws over the bolt. 

On both the bolt and the lever there is a projecting 
piece of metal — the one on the bolt is called the 
fence, and the one on the lever is called the gating — 
the purpose of which is to keep the bolt in position, 
or locked, when it is thrown back as well as when it 
is thrown out, and to the end that this may be done a 
flat steel spring is fixed in the lock so that one of the 
ends presses down on the lever; now when the bolt 
is clear in or clear out the gating on the lever engages 
the fence on the bolt and the spring prevents them 
from slipping past each other, or in other words the 
bolt is locked. 

This is all there is to a simple lever-tumbler lock, 

40 



BE YOUR OWN LOCKSMITH 

but you should by all means take one off a door, un- 
screw the cap and examine its construction and action 
when you will know more about a lock in five min- 
utes than you probably knew in all your life before. 

Dresser Drawer Locks. — The average lock on a 
dresser drawer is far more simple than the door lock 



I 




BOLTPm 



Fig. 18. — The inside of a drawer lock. 



just described since the whole mechanism consists 
solely of a bolt with a small straight steel spring 
fixed to it to give it tension. 

There is a half round cut made in one side of the 
bolt and any kind of a barrel key with a blade on it 
having the right length will open it. Fig. 18 shows 
a lock of this kind with the back removed. 

How to Pick a Lock. — Door Locks. — From the 
construction and operation of rim and mortised locks 

41 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

it must be clear that in order to open a lever-tumbler 
lock it is only necessary to force up tbe lever when 
the bolt can be easily thrown. 

ISTow if a door is locked and the key is lost bend a 
piece of steel wire about -J inch in diameter and 4^ 
inches long to exactly the shape shown at A in Fig. 
19, which is a half-sized lock pick with a pick on 
each end. 




Pig. 19. — Lock picks. A. Door lock pick. 
Dresser lock pick. 



B. 



To open the lock put the pick into the key-hole 
with the projecting end up and then without turning 
it press it up, when it will strike the lever, raise it 
and so release the bolt; still pressing the pick tight 
against the lever turn the pick to the left if you are 
on the outside of the door, or to the right if you are 
on the insida 

When you turn the pick the projecting end presses 
against the Y-shaped notch in the bolt and this turns 
the latter back. 

Dresser Drawer Lochs, — To make a pick to open 
a simple lock of this kind all you have to do is to 

42 



BE YOUR OWN LOCKSMITH 

bend over the end of a stout wire as shown at B ia 
Fig. 19. Put the bent end of this wire into the key- 
hole, to one side of the pin, and by turning it round 
you can easily get it into the half-round cut of the 
lever and throw it back. 

How to Make Keys.— It is a mighty good plan 
to save all of the keys you find lying around loose, for 
it is often possible to get one that will fit a lock, and 
this saves the time and trouble of picking it and of 
making a key. 

But for fear that you might have to make a key 
you should have a dozen hey blanks as they are called, 

Fig. 20. — A warding file. 

that is, keys in which ward notches have never been 
filed, and these can be bought of any hardware dealer 
for a few cents each. 

In fitting keys to locks you should have a couple 
of warding files, as shown in Fig. 20, that is, 
files made especially for locksmiths for filing the 
ward notches, or bittings, in keys. To fit a key to a 
lock that has been taken from a door is easy, for you 
can see and measure the length of the bit and the 
depth of the ward notch in it and file it accordingly. 
But to fit a key to a lock on the door is somewhat 
harder. A door key is shown in Fig. 21. 

A good way to find the exact position where the 
ward notch should be filed in the bit, smoke the latter 

43 




THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

by holding it over a lighted match. IN'ow when you 
insert the key turn it to the right and left as far as 
it will go; in striking the lever-tumbler or the 
dead-bolt the smoke will be rubbed off and you can 
file a ward notch into the bit where it is rubbed 
bright. 

In the kind of a lock where the edge of the bit in 
the key throws over the bolt, if the bit is too long the 
key can be turned only part way round and if the bit 

BOW 

r^ x^^s/ SHOULDER PirJ 

BIT BITTI/IG-OR 
WARD nOTCM; 

Fig. 21. — A door and a dresser key. 

is too short the bolt will be thrown only part way in 
or out. But in the kind of a lock where the ward 
notch of the bit fits over the bolt and works it if the 
notch is not filed deep enough the key cannot be 
turned completely around, and if the notch is too 
deep the bolt will not be thrown either in or out far 
enough. 

Notwithstanding these little peculiarities it is not 
at all hard to fit a key after you know how a lock is 
made and how it works. And the very best way to 
know these things is to take a lock apart and see for 
yourself just what goes on inside of it, then when a 
key is lost you will understand exactly how to give 

44 



BE YOUR OWN LOCKSMITH 

first aid to the careless person, and that is to pick the 
lock and then make a new key. 

A dresser drawer key is made a little differently 
from a door key in that it has a barrel instead of a 
pin, and the lock has a pin over which the barrel fits 
as shown in Fig. 21. 



CHAPTEE TV 
DOING ELECTRICAL JOBS 

There are always a lot of odd electrical jobs to be 
done around a house, whether it is wired for lighting 
or not, and by doing them your genius will shine 
forth even as an incandescent light does on the front 
porch at night. 

Charging: New and Recharging Old Bat- 
teries. — There are two kinds of batteries in general 
use for ringing bells, working annunciators, operating 
telephones, etc., and these are (a) dry batteries, and 
(b) sal ammoniac batteries. 

A battery is made up of two or more cells con- 
nected together. A dry cell battery can be used to 
good advantage wherever it can be set in a perfectly 
dry place, but if the battery is likely to get damp, as 
it sometimes does in a basement, then a sal ammoniac 
battery should be used. 

Recharging Dry Cells. — ^Dry cells are so cheap and 
last so well it is hardly worth while to try to re- 
charge them when they are run down. It can be 
done to a certain extent by drilling several -J-inch 
holes through the asphaltum top and pouring in each 
hole a few drops of a solution made by adding 1 
ounce of sulphuric acid to 3 ounces of water, filling 

46 



DOING ELECTRICAL JOBS 

the holes with either pitch or soap and letting the cell 
stand overnight. This will start up the action of the 
cell, but the current will not be very strong nor will 
it last very long. It will serve as a makeshift how- 
ever until some new cells can be ordered and in- 
stalled. 

Charging Sat Ammoniac Cells. — A cell of this 
kind consists of a glass jar, a cylinder of pressed 
carbon and manganese and a rod of zinc. To charge 
a new cell fill the jar two-thirds full of warm water, 
put in 4 ounces of sal ammoniac and stir with a stick 
until it has completely dissolved. Set the cylinder in 
the jar and slip the zinc rod into the middle of the 
cylinder when the cell will generate a current in a 
very short time. 

To Recharge Sal Ammoniac Cells. — ^When a sal 
ammoniac cell gets out of order it is usually due to 
the solution being worn out or to the zinc having 
been eaten away. 

Whatever the cause take the carbon cylinder out 
of the jar and immerse it in a jar of hot water; clean 
the battery jar and fill it with a fresh solution of sal 
ammoniac; then replace the carbon and either clean 
the old zinc rod well or better put in a new one, when 
the cell will deliver a current. 

Testing Out Electric Bell Circuits.— When 

an electric bell will not ring and you are commis- 
sioned to '^x it you can find the trouble by a process 
called elimination. 

The first thing is to test out the battery and to 

47 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 



do this properly you should have an extra electric 
bell. Connect the binding posts of the bell directly 

HOUSE ELECTRIC BELL 




yOURTESTIMG- 
BELL 



Fig. 22. — Testing out the battery. 

with the zinc and carbon ends of the battery as shown 
in Fig. 22, and if your bell fails to ring, clean and 
recharge, or renew the battery. If it rings it shows 
that the battery is O. K., and then you should test out 







«3^ 



TESTIIMG 
CELL 

" Pig. 23.--Testing out the belL 

the other bell, which can be done by trying it with a 
dry cell as shown in Fig. 23. 

48 



DOING ELECTRICAL JOBS 

If it fails to ring you will know that it is out of 
adjustment or that a screw is loosa Clean the plati- 
num contact point of the adjusting screw and the 
little platinum contact disk under the latter and 
which is fixed to the trembler; then tighten the ad- 
justing screw until it just makes contact with the 
platinum disk. 

Test it by connecting it directly to the battery 
again, and when you have it in adjustment set the 





WIRE 



FiQ. 24. — Testing out the push button. 

nut on the screw good and tight to keep it from 
working loose. Tighten up the binding post and 
other screws to which the wires of the bell are fast- 
ened and screw the bell back where you took it from. 
Should the bell ring when you test it out with the 
battery, or on short circuit as it is called, and still not 
ring when you press the button of the bell circuit 
you will know that the trouble then is either due to 
a broken wire or that it is in the push button. Short 
circuit the push button as shown in Fig. 24 by con- 
necting a piece of wire across the circuit so that the 
current does not have to go through the push. 

49 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

"Now if the bell fails to ring something is wrong 
with the wires, and you will have to follow them 
along and test them as you go until you find the 
break. If the bell rings on short circuiting the push 
button but does not ring when you push the button, 
clean the contacts, see that the wires outside of it are 
not broken and that they make good connection with 
the screws. These things done, put the push back in 
place and the bell is guaranteed to ring. 

When bare wires are used for the lines and these 
get crossed and make a short circuit which cuts out 
the push button the bell will ring continuously, but if 
the wires should get crossed so that the battery alone 
is short circuited the bell will not ring, but the bat- 
tery will soon run down. By examining the bat- 
tery, the bell, push button and circuit you will 
have no difficulty in finding the trouble and right- 
ing it. 

Testing and Fixing Telephones. — ^Where regu- 
lar telephone service is used the company has 
its own trouble men and they attend to fixing the 
telephones, but where interior telephones are in- 
stalled in the house you are the one the folks will 
look to to ^x them up. 

The ringing apparatus of interior phones is an 
ordinary bell system which is energized by ordinary 
batteries, and if these should fail in their operations 
look after them as described above under the caption 
Testing Out Electric Bell Circuits, 

A telephone transmitter has a little pocket in it 

50 



DOING ELECTRICAL JOBS 

filled with carbon granules ^ and taking one of these 
apart is very like taking a watch to pieces — in that it 
is hard to get it all back together again. Sometimes 
a transmitter gets packed, that is, the granules get 
packed too closely together, and this prevents clear 
articulation; by tapping the edge of the transmitter 
gently with the handle of a screw driver the granules 




FiQ. ^. — ^A. A gravity drop annunciator. 

are separated, and this improves the transmission of 
the voice. 

It is seldom that the receiver needs attention, but 
it is well to keep the cover screwed down tight. The 
contacts of the switch-hook should be kept clean, and 
if you will look after these little details your tele- 
phone will always work well. 

Testing and Fixing Annunciators. — An an- 
nunciator is a device operated by electromagnets for 
showing a number, or a name, and at the same time 
ringing a bell when a corresponding button is pushed, 
thus giving a visible and an audible signal at the 
same time. See Eig. 25 A. 

51 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

The principle on whicli an annunciator is worked 
is this: a push button and battery are connected in 
circuit with an electromagnet, and in front of the 
latter there is a bent lever made of iron and a part 
of which forms the armature; this lever is pivoted 
in the middle, the lower and front end has a small 
catch on it and the upper and rear end is slightly 
weighted to keep the armature away from the magnet. 



WEIGHT /LEVER 




.EVER 
CATCH 

Fig. 25. — B. The electro-mechanism of a gravity drop. 

A second, or drop lever, is pivoted at the rear end, 
while the front end, which is bent up, carries the 
name, or the number, and this lever has a slot cut in 
it so that when it is raised up it slips over the catch 
in the armature lever and is held there as shown at B 
in Fig. 25. When the drop is screwed in its case 
and the number is up it cannot be seen. 

Now when the circuit is closed by a push button 
the magnet is energized and this draws the armature 
to it when the catch slips back and so releases the 
number lever, and it drops down to the position 

52 



DOING ELECTRICAL JOBS 

shown by the dotted lines at B when the number is 
exposed through the clear glass of the case. 

[Now suppose there are four of these gravity an- 
nunciator drops, as they are called, in one case with 
a bell on top, then there can be four push buttons in 
different parts of the house. This brings five sepa- 
rate wires into the annunciator box, since one serves 
as the return wire for all of the drops and the bell, 
and the others lead to the basement or wherever the 
battery is located, and from there the circuits branch 
out to the push buttons as shown in Fig. 26. 

Instead of running these wires separately from the 
annunciator to the basement you can get any number 
of wires you like in a cable and each wire will be of 
a different color so that you can instantly tell where 
the wire runs to. Occasionally the number lever will 
have to be bent a little to make it catch or release the 
drop lever properly, but this is all the adjustment 
that is ever needed. Testing out the circuits is done 
in exactly the same manner as described for electric 
bells. 

How to Make a Refrigerator Alarm. — To al- 
ways remember to empty the drip-pan of the refrig- 
erator is a pretty hard thing to do, and when it over- 
flows it is not only a great annoyance but sometimes 
causes considerable damage. 

You can easily make an alarm so that when the 
water in the drip-pan reaches a certain level an elec- 
tric bell will ring until the pan is emptied. 

The alarm consists of an electric bell, a dry cell 

53 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 



AHNUNCIATOH 
HAGNCTS 




Ox 

z 



Fig. 26. — Wiring diagram of a four-drop annunciator. 



54: 



DOING ELECTRICAL JOBS 

and a float as shown in Fig. 27. To make the float, 
Fis:. 28, saw out a block of wood l~ inch thick and 
3 inches square j bore a ^-inch hole through the center 




Fig. 27. — An electric refrigerator alarnu 



of the block and fit a piece of brass tube ^ inch in 
diameter and 2J inches long into it. 

To the lower end of the tube solder a strip of flat 
spring brass and run a little solder around the end 
to make the bore a trifle smaller; also solder a short 
length of ISTo. 20 double cotton covered wire to the 
tube. ISText take a piece of brass rod J inch in 

55 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

diameter and 3 inches long, thread it two-thirds of 
its length and drop a bit of solder on the end to make 
it a trifle larger so that it can't slip out of the lower 
end of the tube. 




Fig. 28. — The float for the refrigerator. 

Get a piece of flat cork ^ inch thick and 3 inches 
in diameter and drill a -J-inch hole in the center. If 
a cork of this size is not at hand take a number of 
smaller corks and fasten them together with wire 
instead. This done, make a flat brass spring like the 
first one, only drill a J-inch hole in one end of it, 
screw a nut on the rod until it is 1^ inches from the 

56 



DOING ELECTRICAL JOBS 

end, slip on the brass spring, loop a 3-foot piece of 
^o. 20 double cotton-covered wire around it, screw 
on another nut to hold the spring and wire on tight, 
slip the cork on the rod and screw on another nut to 
hold the cork in place. The cork can then be adjusted 
bv means of the nuts. 

iNail the wood block of the float to the bottom of 




Fig. 29. — The contact device for the alarm clock. 



the refrigerator near the drip-pipe ; connect the wires 
leading from the float to the bell and battery, which 
may be fastened to the side of the refrigerator as 
shown in Fig. 27. 

]^ow when the water rises in the pan it forces the 
cork up, and this brings the springs into contact, 
which closes the circuit and so rings the bell. 

How to Make an Electric Alarm Clock.— To 

57 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

make an alarm clock that won't have a friend in the 
world get an ordinary 98-cent alarm clock, an electric 
bell and a dry cell. 

Then cut out a strip of brass ^ inch thick, -J inch 
wide and 1 J inches long. Drill a iV inch hole through 
the lower end as shown in Fig. 29 and a tV inch hole 
in the upper end ; solder a very thin wire to the lower 
end of the bar and coil it up, the purpose of which 
will be seen presently. 

Slip a wire through the lower hole and bend it to 
form a pivot or shaft for the brass bar to turn on, 
and bend it up enough to keep the bar clear of the 
base when it swings. Fasten the bent ends to a base 
made of wood ^ inch thick, 3 inches wide and 5 
inches long, with a couple of staples. 

Cut out of spring brass a strip ^ inch wide and 
IJ inches long, drill a -J-inch hole in one end and 
bend up the other end as shown in Fig. 29. Screw 
this spring to the base and loop a piece of annunciator 
wire around the head of the screw and screw it down 
tight. 

Connect the wire of the bar to a dry cell, fasten 
the wire of the spring to the electric bell and then 
connect the dry cell and the electric bell together. 
Take the bell off of the alarm clock, tie a thread 
around the hammer of the alarm, pass the other end 
of the thread through the upper hole in the bar and 
tie it fast as shown in Fig. 30. 

Now when the alarm goes off the movement of the 
alarm hammer will pull the bar down, and when 

68 



DOING ELECTRICAL JOBS 

tills drops on the spring it closes the circuit and the 
bell will ring until you get up and attend to it. You 
won't like this alarm clock but you will always be on 
time for your coffee and cakes. 




Pig. 30. — The electric alarm clock complete. 



How to Make an Electric Door Alarm.— 

Sometimes it is a convenience to have a bell ring in 
the kitchen when the front door is opened. 

To make a door alarm of this kind get an electric 
bell and a couple of dry cells. Now cut out two 
strips of spring brass f inch wide and make one of 
them H inches long and the other 2 J inches long. 
Drill three -J-inch holes in the short piece for the 

59 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

screws and binding post and bend over one end ^ inch 
as shown in Fig. 31 ; drill three holes in one end of 
the other piece and bend it as is also shown in Fig. 31. 
After fastening a binding post on each spring 
screw the long spring to the door case above and close 




Fig. 31. — The contact for the door alarm. 



to the hinge, and screw the other contact to the top of 
the door directly under the long spring so that as the 
door opens the two pieces of metal will rub on each 
other and so close the circuit. 

Wire up the battery to the spring contact, connect 
the lower contact on the door with the bell and join 

60 



DOING ELECTRICAL JOBS 

the bell and the battery together, all of which is 
clearly shown in Fig. 32. 

When the door is closed the position of these con- 
tacts is like that shown in Fig. 31, and of course the 




Fig. 32. — The electric door alarm complete. 



circuit is broken; as the door opens the door contact 
strikes the spring contact and this closes the circuit 
and the bell rings. But as the door opens wider the 
contacts slip by each other, the circuit is broken and 
the bell stops ringing. 

61 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 
How to Make an Electric Fire Detector.— 

This fire detector, or automatic fire alarm thermostat, 
to call it by its real name, is so made that should a 
fire break out in the room in which it is installed the 
heat will expand the mercury in the tube and this 
closes an electric bell circuit. 

To make a thermostat of this kind get a piece of 




Pig. 33. — ^An easily made thermostat. 



glass tube ^ inch in diameter, inside measurement, 
and not too thin, and have it a foot or so long. Hold 
it at both ends with your fingers in the flame of your 
gasoline torch and keep rolling the tube in order that 
all parts that are in the flame may be equally heated ; 
when the glass is soft enough bring the ends together 
gently and slowly until you have formed a U tube 
of it. 

When the tube is cold file a nick in each tube, or 
leg, as it is now called, with your three-cornered file 
3 inches above the middle of the bend as shown in 

62 



DOING ELECTRICAL JOBS 



Fig. 33, when it will easily break off by applying a 
little pressure to it about J inch on each side. 

Put enough mercury in the tube to half fill it, cut 




\V0ODEM 
WAUL 




Fig. 34. — The electric fire detector installed. 

63 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

off two strips of copper just wide enougli to fit into 
the ends of the tube and about 2 inches long, solder 
a wire to each strip, put the latter into the end of the 
tube so that it will come to within J inch of the mer- 
cury and bend the strip over to keep it in place. 

If, now, you will connect the wires soldered to the 
strips with a bell and a battery and heat the tube the 
mercury will rise until it touches the lower tip of the 
strip, and when it does so the circuit will be closed 
and the bell will ring. The thermostat can be fast- 
ened anywhere there may be danger of fire, as for 
instance between the wainscoting and the cook stove 
as shown in Fig. 34, and when it gets hot enough the 
bell will ring out an alarm. 

Tlie thermostat should be adjusted to close tlie 
circuit when the temperature reaches 125 degrees 
Fahrenheit ; you can do this by placing it in an oven 
with an ordinary thermometer, and when the latter 
indicates 125 degrees adjust the former accordingly. 
Metal thermostats already adjusted can be bought 
for as little as 60 cents. 

How to Instal an Electric Gas Lighting Ap- 
paratus. — There are several kinds of electric gas 
lighters, or burners, as they are called, on the market, 
but all of them work on the same principle. 

The scheme is this: When a wire, or a chain, is 
pulled down it causes a lever, which is pivoted to the 
burner, to raise a second lever; this has a bit of 
spring wire fastened to its tip and when this strikes 
and makes contact with a wire fastened to the jet and 

64 



DOING ELECTRICAL JOBS 

breaks apart from another wire fixed to, but Insulated 
from, the burner, a hot spark is made and this lights 
the gas. 

In a plain burner, see A Fig. 35, there is no valve 
and the gas must be turned on first by means of the 
regular gas kej. Another burner is made which 






Fig. 35. — A. A plain electric lighting gas burner. B. A ratchet 
gas lighting burner. C. A gas lighting spark coil. 



operates with a ratchet wheel and pawl, see B Fig. 
35, the first pull of the chain turning on and lighting 
the gas and the next pull turning off and extinguish- 
ing the flame. A plain burner costs 50 cents and a 
ratchet burner costs about $1.00. 

In order to produce a spark hot enough for lighting 
a gas burner with three or four cells of battery a 

65 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

gas ligMing spark coil must be connected in circuit. 
This is simply a coil of Xo. IG or 18 double cotton- 
covered magnet wire wound on a soft iron coil, see 
C Fig. 35, and its purpose is to increase the in- 
tensity of the current, by the inductive action of one 
turn of wire on the one next to it, with the net result 
that a hot spark takes place between the contact pins 




tOLDEREO 



Fig. 36. — ^Wiring diagram for gas lighting spark eolL 



when the circuit is broken. An 8-inch spark coil, 
meaning that it is 8 inches long, is large enough for 
all ordinary work, and a battery of three or four dry 
cells at least should be used. 

To instal a gas lighting system unscrew the old 
burner from the gas fixture and screw on the electric 
burner. Set the battery and the spark coil in any 
convenient place and ground the carbon of the bat- 
tery, that is, connect it to the gas pipe at any point. 
Connect the zinc of the battery to one of the binding 

66 



DOING ELECTRICAL JOBS 

posts of the spark coil, run a wire from tlie other 
binding post of the coil to the insulated contact of the 
burner, or to as many burners as you have, all of 
which is shown in the wiring diagram in Fig. 36; 
the gas pipe itself completes the return circuit as it 
is directly connected with the movable contact of the 
burner. The wires leading from the fixed contact 




Fig. 37. — A burglar alarm trap. 

wire can be run along the pipes so that they are 
hardly noticeabla 
How to Instal a Burglar Alarm Trap.— 

There are forty different kinds of burglar alarm traps 
to catch the forty thieves, but all of them work on 
the contact principle. 

A simple and effective burglar alarm trap is shown 
in Fig. 37; it costs $1.50 and it works like this: 
When the trap is screwed to the wall as close to the 

67 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

place where the protection is wanted as may be con- 
venient and the thread which is fastened to the con- 
tact lever is attached by the other end to a window, a 




Fig. 38. — ^Wiring diagram for a burglar alarm trap. 



window^ shade, transom, door, or is stretched across 
a room or hallway, the slightest pull or pressure on 

68 



DOING ELECTRICAL JOBS 

the string will move the needle to the right and this 
closes the circuit. 

Or if an intruder runs against the thread, or cuts 
it, a spring pulls the needle to the left and this com- 
pletes the circuit, and so you catch your burglar 
either going or coming. This trap will also act as a 
fire-alarm if the string should be burned away. A 
couple of dry cells and a good loud-ringing bell com- 
plete the outfit. It is wired up as shown in Fig. 38. 





Pig. 39. — A. A wire splice. B. A wire joint. 

How to Solder and Tape Wires. — At least a 

good half of all the troubles with apparatus using 
battery current can be traced to badly made joints 
and splices. 

The first thing to do in making a joint or a splice 
is to skin the insulation off of the wires with your 
knife and then scrape them clean with the hack of 
the blade. If a splice is to be made cross the wires 
1 inch from the ends and twist the end of each wire 
around the other wire as shown at A in Fig. 39. 

To make a joint wrap the end of the branch wire 

69 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

around tlie main wire as shown at B in Fig. 39, using 
your pliers to tighten up the turns of the wire. 

While joints and splices for battery circuits are 
seldom soldered it is always the surer way to solder 
them. If the wires are hanging free you can direct 



Fig. 40. — Soldering a spliced wire. 

the flames of your blow-torch directly on the joint, 
and after putting on a little flux touch it with the end 
of your wire-solder as shown in Fig. 40; but if the 
wires are close to a wall you must use your soldering 
copper to do the job with. 

Always use your soldering paste for the flux in 
soldering wires, as the acid solution will rot the in- 
sulation. When annunciator wire is used wrap the 

70 



DOING ELECTRICAL JOBS 

joints and splices with a single layer of electrician's 
tape (15c. for ^ lb. roll). Where electric light wires 
are spliced tape them first with rubber tape, or splic- 
ing compound, and then cover the rubber tape with 
electrician's tape, or friction tape, as it is called. 

Replacing Fuses. — Where the electric light serv- 
ice wires run into a house, and at different junctions 
of branch circuits, you will find an iron box, and in it 





B 

A PLUG FUSE 



A CUT- OUT 

Tig. 41. — ^A. A cut-out block. B. A plug fuse. 



there is one, or more, porcelain hlocJcs called cut-outs. 

These cut-outs usually have screw holes, or sochets, 
as they are called, in them, as shown at A in Fig. 41. 
The kind of fuses that are made to fit these sockets 
are called plug fuses, see B Fig. 41, and these are 
screwed into the sockets of the cut-out like an incan- 
descent lamp screws into a lamp socket. 

Before attempting to talce out or put in a plug 
fu^e throw off the main switch; the safest way to do 
this is to tie a stout cord to the handle and then you 
can pull it down without touching it when you throw 

71 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

it off and use a stick to push it hack when you throw 
it on. And always stand on a dry hoard to do it. 

When a single light goes out it stands to reason 
that the lamp has burned out. When two or more 
lamps go out at the same time it is a foregone con- 
clusion that a plug fuse in one of the branch cut-out 
boxes has blown. 

Should all of the lights in the house go out simul- 
taneously you will know that the fu^es in the main 
cut-out box have blown. For a house of ordinary size. 
10 ampere fuse plugs are about the right size for the 
branch cut-outs. 

Coloring and Frosting Electric Light Bulbs. 

— The bulbs of incandescent lamps can be given any 
color by cleaning them in warm soap suds, rinsing in 
clear water, drying with a cloth, polishing with tissue 
paper and then dipping them into the following so- 
lutions : 

First beat the white of an egg to a froth and thor- 
oughly mix it with 1 part of rainwater and filter, and 
be sure there are no bubbles on the surface of the 
solution. Tie a string around the plug end of each 
lamp, dip it in the solution and hang it up to dry; 
after drying thoroughly dip it a second time and let 
it dry again. 

Next make a solution by dissolving 20 grains of 
soluble aniline dye, which can be had in any color, 
in 4 ounces of collodion. Dip each bulb in the solu- 
tion, hang it up and let it dry over night. Dip the 
bulbs again and again, letting them dry thoroughly 

72 



DOING ELECTRICAL JOBS 

each time until the color is deep enough to suit your 
aesthetic taste. 

Frosting Bulbs, — Dip the bulb in a solution made 
by dissolving as much alum in the water as it will 
take up. By adding cochineal for red, turmeric for 
yellow, and indigo for blue to the solution frosted 
bulbs in these colors may be made. 

Testing and Fixing Electric Heating Appa- 
ratus. — Should an electric iron or other piece of 
electrical heating apparatus fail in its action test out 
the connecting cord first, as the fault is usually to 
be found in either it or the socket ends. 

To test it simply connect the plug end with a bat- 
tery and bell and short circuit the socket terminals 
with a piece of wire. Very often the screws in the 
plug end work loose, and if this is the case loop the 
ends of the wires around their respective screws and 
tighten up the latter. 

Sometimes the wires of the connecting cord break 
at the socket, although the spiral coil of wire outside 
of the cord is put on for the express purpose of pre- 
venting this from occurring. In any event the iron 
or other apparatus will more than likely work all 
right if the cord and plug and socket are in good 
condition. 

If not, then take the iron apart, examine the heat- 
ing element, which is a piece of flat resistance wire, 
and see if it is burnt out. If this is the case order 
another heating element from your dealer in elec- 
trical supplies or from the maker of the iron. 

73 



CHAPTER V 
THE AMATEUR PLUMBER 

Stopping Leaks in Lead Pipes. — The best way 
to stop a leak in a lead pipe is to either solder it or 
to make a new joint entirely. 

But as an emergency makeshift a leak can be 
quickly stopped by making a tapering wooden plug, 
say half an inch long, cover it with a single thickness 
of muslin, smear it with red-lead 'putty and then 
drive it gently into the hole. 

Wrap the pipe with electrician's friction tape to 
keep the plug from coming out. Red-lead putty can 
be made by mixing red-lead with linseed oil to the 
consistency of dough. 

Soldering Lead Pipes. — Since it is next to im- 
possible to solder a lead pipe when there is water in 
it the latter should be let out first. IText scrape the 
lead around the hole clean and bright; use a large 
soldering copper, have it very hot, but never red-hot, 
use resin as a soldering flux and regular plumber s 
solder. This can be bought at any hardware store, or 
you can make it yourself by melting 1 part of tin 
with 1 part of lead. 

How to Make a Cup-Joint.— Whenever you find 
it necessary to join two pieces of lead pipe you can 

74 



THE AMATEUR PLUMBER 

do it easily and make a fairly good job of it by 
means of a cup-joint. 

The first thing to do in making a cup-joint is to 
saw off the ends of the pipe where the union is to be 
made, nice and smooth ; then taper off the lower end 



UJ 



UJ 



<_9 




Fig. 42. — How a cup joint is made. 



of the upper pipe with a rasp, that is, a rough cut file 
in which each tooth is single pointed and is separate 
from the other. 

The upper end of the lower pipe must be cut away 
on the inside to form a cup into which the tapered 
end of the upper pipe sets as shown in Fig. 42. 
Scrape both of the connecting ends bright and clean, 
put some powdered resin round the flange and run 
some solder round the joint with your soldering 
copper. 

How to Clean Out Pipes. — Drain pipes of all 

75 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

kinds around the house get clogged up every once in 
a while for any one of a number of reasons. If the 
water will not run out of a sink unscrew the cap 
at the bottom of the S trap as shown in Eig. 43, 
when the dirt or other obstruction can be removed. 

A long piece of electric light wire with the in- 
sulation on it, or a piece of telegraph wire is very ef- 
fective in cleaning out a straight or a bent pipe if 




CAP 

Fig. 43. — A lead pipe S trap. 

there are no sharp turns in it, for all that is needed 
is to run the wire back and forth several times 
through it, when the obstruction can generally be 
broken up and dislodged. 

Putting New Washers in Faucets. —When the 

water cannot be turned entirely off by a faucet, or 
hib-cock, as a faucet with its nozzle pointing down- 
ward is often called, the trouble can be remedied by 
putting in a new washer. 

To do this unscrew the brass nipple of the faucet 
with your monkey wrench and unscrew the valve- 
stem, which can then be taken out. 

On the lower end of the stem you will see a rub- 

76 



THE AMATEUR PLUMBER 

ber, or a leather washer, or gasket, or what there is 
left of it ; remove the machine screw, replace the worn 
out washer with a new one. Put the machine screw 
back into place, screw in the valve stem, screw on the 
nipple and it will work as well as it ever did. 

How to Prevent Water Pipes from Freezing. 

—-Where the water pipes are inside the house there 
is little danger of them freezing, but if for any reason 
you think they should be protected it is a good scheme 
to cover them with an asbestos and hair pipe covering. 
This comes in sectional form 3 feet long and split 
open on one side so that it can readily be placed 
around the pipe. 

If the line of pipe is particularly exposed where 
it will be subjected to the same temperature as it 
would be out-of-doors, use two layers of the asbestos 
and hair covering, that is, one layer over the other so 
as to break all longitudinal and abutting joints. 
Zero pipe covering is a good kind to buy, and the 
present list price is about 17 cents per running foot 
for the 1-inch pipe size, and 22 cents for the 2-inch 
size. It is sold by H. W. Johns-Manville Co., Madi- 
son Avenue and 41st Street, 'Eqw York. 

When Leaving a House in Winter.— Before 

leaving a house in or for the winter open all of the 
faucets and cocks and let all of the water in the 
pipes run out, as well as the water in the flush tank 
of the closet outfit. 

^ Open the cover in the bottom of each trap, the func- 
tion of which is to shut out the foul air of the house 

77 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

drains from the rooms, and let tlie water out of these, 
and finally the water in the trap of the bowl of the 
closet outfit can be taken out without removing the 
stool by using a large sponge. 

Take all of these precautions on going away in the 
winter and then when you return you will be saved a 
lot of work and worry. Be sure and have the covers 
of the traps screwed on tight before the water system 
is used again. 

How to Thaw Out Frozen Water Pipes.— 

If the pipe is exposed wrap the place where you think 
it is frozen with woolen cloths and pour hot water on 
it until it thaws out. Should the pipe be an under- 
ground one the only thing you can do is to dig down 
until you reach it and then give it the hot water 
treatment. 

Of course if there is no object in sparing the pocket 
you can perform the operation with an electric pipe 
thawing outfit. Where your water supply is taken 
from the street mains and the intake pipe freezes 
telephone the Water Company or the Water Depart- 
ment if the utility is owned by the City, and they 
will thaw it out by electricity, for most of them have 
outfits for this express purpose. At any rate it is 
their business and not yours. 

A Handy Clean-Out Plunger. — This is a very 
simple kind of a force-pump ; it is formed of a hard- 
wood handle about 3 feet long to which a rubber cup, 
or plunger is attached, as shown in Fig. 44. It is a 
very useful device for forcing stoppages in waste and 

78 



THE AMATEUR PLUMBER 

drain pipes, especially the traps of the howls of closet 
outfits. It costs ahoiit 50 cents. 

The Mechanism of a Flushing Tank and How 
to Keep It in Order.-— A closet outfit consists of 

two parts and these are (1) the tank and (2) the 
howl. The mechanism of the tank is shown in Fig. 
45 and the details of the supply valve and flush valve 




Fig. 44. — A handy clean-out plunger. 



at A and B in Fig. 46. ISTow heginning with the 
water supply when the tank is full of water the hol- 
low copper ball floats on top and the supply valve A is 
closed and of course no more water can run into the 
tank from the supply pipe. 

When the chain is pulled the flush valve B is 
opened and the water rushes down the flush pipe. 
The copper float falls with the water and this opens 
the valve of the supply pipe and the tank begins to 

79 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

refill. When the float has again risen to its top level 
it closes the supply valve and no more water can 
flow into the tank unless the supply valve leaks. 

To prevent the tank from running over, the flush 
valve is fitted with an overflow pipe as shown at B, 



FLUSH VALVE 
LEVER 



CMAiri— 




ZINC LINED 
TANK 



HOLLOW 

COPPER. 

FLOAT 



FLUSH PIPE 



Fig. 45. — The supply tank. 



which also shows the flush-valve when taken out of 
the valve seat. The supply valve is shown in cross 
section at A. If the valve is faulty then it will let a 
certain amount of water flow all the time into the 
tank, and this not only wastes the water but it makes 
an unnecessary noise. 

To ^x it unscrew the float rod and take the plunger 
out of the supply cock and you will most likely find 

80 



THE AMATEUR PLUMBER 



that the rubber washer, or gasket, shown at A, has 
worn out. Replace it with a new one and it will 
work O. K. 

Another and worse trouble is when the tank keeps 
filling and emptying automatically and making a 
noise that is very disheartening. In this case the 



VALV 




^LOAT 



P,00 



RUBBER WASHER. 



RUB&ER. 
WASHER 




^.,:^r 



OVER- 
FLOW 
HOLES 



SPOUT 
VALVE SEAT 



Fig. 46. — A. Cross section of supply valve. 

section of flusli valve. 



B. Cross 



rubber ring, or washer on the flush valve, see B, is 
probably at fault and needs renewing. 

The construction of the bowl is shown in Fig. 47. 
Should the trap in the bowl get clogged up a piece of 
copper wire with a hook on the end can be forced into 
it from above and the obstruction removed, or, what 
is better, a clearirout 'plunger can be used. 

Pumps, How They Work and How to Fix 
Them* — Pitcher Spout Pump, — This is a pump that 

81 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

is largely used in kitchens where the cistern is near 
by and where there is no regular plumbing system. 
A pump of the kind, see A, Fig. 48, can also be 




FLUSH 
PIPE.- 



TA^IK 



-SUPPLY PIPE 




Fig. 47. — A cross section of the bowl. 



used for wells that are not over 20 feet deep. It is 
very simple in construction and a small one can be 
bought for a dollar or so. 

As B in Fig. 48 shows, it consists of a barrel or 

82 



THE AMATEUR PLUMBER 

cylinder, a piston rod and piston head, a piston 
valve and a barrel or cylinder valve, and in action 
it works like this : When the piston is raised up it 
exhausts some of the air from the pipe, whose lower 
end dips into the water in the cistern, through the 
valve, and this carries the air into the barrel of 
the pump because of the pressure of the air on the 
water in the cistern. 




Tig. 48. — ^A. A pitcher spout pump. 

On the down stroke the cylinder valve closes again 
and the piston valve is pushed up, thus giving the air 
that is in the barrel a chance to escape up through it. 
This action is continued until all of the air in the pipe 
has been pumped out, and then of course the water is 
forced up and the piston works on it just the same 
as it did with the air. 

When a lift pump has to be primed each time just 
before pumping or when it gets so that it won't lift 
the water at all you can take it for granted that the 
leather washer on the piston head, or simply leather, 

83 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 



F:^ 



PiSTOn ROD 



r-^BrPLU/SG-ER. 
^\ AMP VALVES 



VALVE 



LEATHER 
WASHER 



Fig. 48. — B. Plunger and valves. 

as it is called for short, does not fit the barrel per- 
fectly, and consequently there is a leakage of the air. 
To fix it scribe a circle iV inch larger in diameter 




VALVE 




LEATHER 



BRASS 
WEIGHT 



CrVALVE 

Fig. 48. — C. Top view of foot valve for simple lift pump. 



than the diameter of the barrel, on a piece of leather 
i inch thick and scribe another circle IJ inches ia 

84 



THE AMATEUR TLUMBER 

diameter inside the larger one; cut out a washer and 
soak it in linseed oil for 24 hours, when it can be 
fitted on the piston and the trouble will end. Plunger 
leathers can be bought already cut out for about 5 
cents each. 

The pump valve is made of brass; this and the 
seat are ground to make them fit air tight ; the oxide 
accumulating on these valves can be cleaned off bj 
using fine emery paper, and finally be sure the joint 
where the supply pipe is connected with the pump is 
tight or this will also let the air leak out. The piston 
Talve is shown at B in Fig. 48 and the barrel valve 
at C. 

Double Acting Force Pumps. — ^^early all pumps 
which are made to supply storage tanks in attics or 
other elevated places in order that a constant flow of 
water may be had in the bath room and kitchen are 
of the double-barreled type, as shown at A and B in 
Fig. 49. A pump of this kind is merely a lift pump 
like the pitcher spout pump, except that it has two 
cylinders, and these empty into an inclosed part of 
the pmnp, which in turn is connected with the pipe 
that leads to the tank. 

This kind of a pump, shown in cross section at B, 
Fig. 49, also has a valve in the pipe which supplies 
the tank to keep the water that has been forced into it 
from running back into the pump between strokes, 
and after you have stopped pumping. The piston 
leathers are about the only things that wear out, 
though the leather check valve in the tank supply 

85 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

pipe may need to be replaced. A new valve can be 
made by cutting one out of ^-incli thick sole leather, 
using the old valve as a pattern. 

It is often hard to start the water to flow if the 
pump is an old one. When this happens unscrew the 



ShANKOF 
HANDLE 



WALKIMGp^ 



ROD 




PIPE TO 
TAMK 



PRIMING 
PLUG 



CyU/NDER. 



&A$E 



SUPPLY PIPE 



Fig. 49. — A. A double acting force pump. 

86 



THE AMATEUR PLUMBER 



priming plug and pour a quart of water into the bar- 
rel through the hole; this will make the piston 
leathers fit the cylinders air tight when the pump 
will again do its work. 

How to Clean a Gas Jet. —When particles of 
dust get into a gas jet the flame bums uneven, smokes 



WALKirrG- BEAM 



SHAnK OF IV 

PU/>APMAr«DLE ? 



CyUAIDER 




SUPPCy PIPE 

LEADIMGTQ 
CI5TERW 




LEATHER 
WASHER 

PISTO/M 
VALVES 



P\$TOfi 

MEAD 

OR 
LEATHER 
WASMER 



Fig. 49. — B. Cross section of a double acting force pump. 

87 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

and the light is poor. To make a cleaner cut out of 
thin sheet brass, or tin will do, a strip ^ an inch wide 
and 2 inches long. Bend over one edge -J inch and 
then again -J inch, making the cleaner ^ inch wide, 
and the folded back will give it the stiffness it needs. 
To clean the jet simply run the sharp edge of the 
cleaner through the slot of the tip and it will remove 
all the little particles that clog it up. 

How to Detect Gas Leaks.— The odor of the gas 

is usually the first indication that there is a leak, 
and there are a couple of ways by which the exact 
place of the leak can be found. 

The first and safest is to put a drop or two of soap- 
suds on the suspected spot when, if you have guessed 
right, a little bubble will be formed. The second 
and easiest way is to run a lighted match all around 
the pipe when the gas will ignite and so show where 
the leak is. Never use a match if the odor of gas is 
very strong. 

Keeping Gas Cooking Stoves in Order.— 

There are several little things that the chef de cui- 
sine, or just plain cook, as we call Oscar here at home, 
ought to know about using gas stoves and which if he, 
or she, does not know, or knowing does not heed, will 
soon make the stove cut up capers, and as the handy 
person around the house you will quickly be called 
into consultation. 

Like the gas-fitter's helper, look wise and inform 
him, her or it, as one who speaks by the card, that 
the water, or coffee, or soup must not be allowed to 

88 



THE AMATEUR PLUMBER 

boil over and run into the burners ; that the burners 
should be taken out at least once a month, and oftener 
if necessary, turned upside down and the soot tapped 
gently out of them ; that they should then be washed 
in clean soap-suds and thoroughly dried, and that 
when these instructions are adhered to there will be 
no reason for bothering you. 



CHAPTER VI 

THE HANDY GLAZIER 

About Window Glass. — There are two grades 
of window glass and these are called (1) single thick 
or single strength, and (2) double thick or double 
strength. Single thick glass is about -^-j of an inch 
thick and double thick glass is about ^ of an inch 
thick. The thickness of window glass varies some- 
what, but it is graded by the makers to conform to 
this standard as nearly as possible. 

Tools Used for Cutting Window Glass.— 

There are two kinds of tools used for cutting window 
glass, and these are (1) steel cutters and (2) dia- 
mond cutters. A steel cutter is good enough for all 
ordinary purposes but to cut plate glass a diamond 
cutter must be used. 

Steel cutters are fitted with either a hardened steel 
point in the end or else a steel wheel, which is better, 
and cutters of this kind can be bought for as little as 
25 cents. A steel wheel cutter is shown at A in Fig. 
50. A diamond glass cutter has a chip of genuine 
diamond mounted in a swivel end, and it is a pleasure 
to cut glass with one of these. It is shown at B in 
Fig. 50, and it costs about $4.50. 

90 



Sizes and Prices of Window Glass 





Simple 


Double 


No. of 


J 


5ing 


le Double 


No. of 


Size. 


Thick 


Thick 


Lights 


r 


rhif 


>k Thick 


Lights 




Per 


Per 


in a 


Size. 


Pej 


r Per 


in a 




Light. 


Light. 


Box. 


I 


_.igh 


t. Light. 


Box. 


7x 9 


$0.04 


$0.05 


114 


20x22 % 


;o.4 


$0.49 


16 


8x10 


.05 


.07 


90 


20x24 


.4 


3 .52 


15 


8x12 


.06 


.09 


75 


20x26 


.4 


6 .56 


13 


8x14 


.07 


.10 


64 


20x28 


.5 


.60 


13 


9x12 


.07 


.09 


67 


20x30 


.5 


4 .65 


12 


9x14 


.08 


.12 


57 


20x32 


.6 


.73 


11 


10x12 


.07 


.10 


60 


20x34 


.6 


.73 


11 


10x14 


.09 


.12 


51 


20x36 


.4 


3 .52 


10 


10x16 


.10 


.15 


45 


22x24 


.4 


6 .55 


14 


10x18 


.13 


.17 


40 


22x26 


.5 


.60 


13 


10x20 


.13 


.19 


36 


22x28 


.5 


i .65 


12 


10x22 


.15 


.20 


33 


22x30 


.& 


.73 


11 


10x24 


.16 


.22 


30 


22x32 


.6 


7 .81 


10 


10x26 


.21 


.25 


23 


24x24 


.& 


1 .65 


12 


10x28 


.22 


.27 


26 


24x26 


.& 


i .65 


12 


10x30 


.24 


.29 


24 


24x28 


.6 


.73 


11 


10x32 


.28 


.34 


23 


24x30 


.6 


7 .81 


10 


12x14 


.11 


.18 


43 


24x32 


.7 


S .91 


9 


12x16 


.12 


.19 


38 


24x34 


.7 


S .91 


9 


12x18 


.16 


.22 


33 


24x36 


.8 


% 1.02 


8 


12x20 


.18 


.25 


30 


24x38 


.9 


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91 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 




Fig. 50. — A. A steel wheel glass cutter. 

How to Use a Steel Wheel Cutter. — The secret 
of using a steel wheel cutter is to dip the wheel into 




Fig. 50. — B. A diamond glasa cutter. 



kerosene before each cut is made, and when this is 
done it is surprising how well it will cut. A handy 

92 



THE HANDY GLAZIER 

way to do this is to keep a wide-moutlied bottle of 
kerosene ready for use. 

How to Use a Diamond Cutter. — Hold the handle 
at the lower end, which is three-sided, between your 
thumb, index and medius fingers — one on each side — 
as shown at B in Fig. 50, but closer to the swivel 
joint; press firmly and draw it along the straight 
edge on the glass firmly and evenly. 

It requires some skill to use a diamond cutter 
properly, and for this reason it is best to practice on 
some small pieces before attempting to cut a light of 
any size. 

How to Cut Window Glass.— TFi7^ a Pattern, 
— Lay a large sheet of paper on your table or bench 
and mark the size of the glass you want to cut on 
it. Lay the glass over the sheet of paper and a 
straight edge, that is the edge of a rule, a T square 
or anything that has a true edge, nearly on the mark 
and run your glass cutter along the latter and over 
the glass. This is an easy and sure way where only 
an occasional light is needed. - 

Another way is to lay the glass flat on your bench 
and place a T square with the arm on one edge of 
the glass as shown at A in Fig. 51 ; now measure off 
the width or length whichever you are cutting, slide 
the blade of the T square along until the edge coin- 
cides with the mark on your rule and then hold it 
down firmly. Start your glass cutter from the side 
of the glass that is away from you and draw it 
toward you with a firm pressure and an even stroke. 

93 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

After the cut has been made if it does not readily 
break, tap it gently with the handle of a screw- 
driver. All glass cutters have notched shanks, the 
purpose of which is to enable you to slip it over the 
edge of the glass when a little pressure will break 
the glass at the cut. 

How to Make a Cutting Board. — Where any 
considerable number of lights are to be cut as in 




Fig. 51. — How to cut a window light. 

making hotbed sashes for a green house, a cutting 
board is a very convenient accessory. 

To make a glass cutting board get a drawing board 
of any size and screw a strip of wood to one end 
as shown in Fig. 52. Take two ten cent tape meas- 
ures such as dressmakers use and glue these along 
the sides of the board so that the figures begin at 
the strip and be sure to have the numbers of both 
tape measures even. With this board you can cut 
glass to any size easily, quickly and accurately. 

Removing Old Putty from Sash. — The usual 

way to remove old putty is to use a knife, and some- 
times a hammer is needed where the putty is very 
hard. 

94 



THE HANDY GLAZIER 

Another way, and this is easier though it takes 
longer, is to make a paste of 1 ounce of soft soap, 
1 ounce of pearl-ash to which a little powdered lime 
has been added, and mix with 4 ounces of fuller's 
earth. Smear this mixture over the putty and let 
it remain over night, when the putty will be more 




] ) 1 ) } i ) J } i ? > 1 1 , ) > i i f J ? ^ 



7 



STRIP OF 
WOOD 

^^^TAPE/AEASURE 
GLUED TO BOARD 



i 



U 2- 




Fig. 52. — ^A glass cutting board. 

or less soft. After removing the putty wash the 
Ited of the sash frame, as the part is called against 
which the glass rests, with soap and water. 

How to Make Glazing Putty. — To make glaz- 
ing putty mix one-half or a pound of whiting, which 
is pulverized chalk, with enough raw linseed oil to 
make a stiff dough, leave it over night and then knead 
it again and pound it with a mallet. To make it keep 
better add about 5 per cent of cotton-seed oil. 

To make a putty that dries harder than the one 
just described use ;J of a pound of white lead and f 

95 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

pound of whiting and mix these together before add- 
ing the oil. 

How to Put in a Light. — After having taken 
out the old glass, removed all the hard putty and 
washed the bed of the sash frame, cut the light to 
fit and clean it. Next spread some putty thinly 
along the bed on which the light is to rest — ^hence 
this part of the job is called tedding the light — set 
it in and press it firmly against the putty. 





A B 

Fig. 53. — A. A glazier's point. B. A putty knife. 

This done, drive eight or more glazier s points, 
little three-cornered bits of zinc as shown at A in Fig. 
63, into the frame to hold the light in place. A 
quarter of a pound of these points can be bought for 
10 cents or less. Take a dab of putty, roll it into 
a thin strip and lay it around the edge of light and 
the frame. 

Use a putty Icnife, as shown at B in Eig. 53, to 
press the putty into place and to smooth it off. Put 
on enough putty so that the top of the zinc points 
do not show. With very little practice you can 
work the putty into a smooth layer and make neat 
looking square corners. 

To Clean Windows. — While you may not con- 
sider cleaning windows as one of your jobs, still if 

96 



THE HANDY GLAZIER 

jou have to do it, it is just as well to do it right. 

First whittle a stick to a sharp point and clean 
out the dust and dirt that have hardened in the cor- 
ners of the sash; second wash the windows with clean 
water in which you have poured a little concentrated 
liquid ammonia, and third wipe the windows dry 
with a clean cloth. 

If you want to do an extra good job, make a thin 
paste by mixing some whiting with alcohol. Eub 
this paste on the glass, let it dry, and then rub it 
off with a clean cloth and it will take on a polish 
that will rival the colored boy with the black face 
and shiny eye. 



CHAPTER VII 
THE FURNITURE REPAIRER 

Easing" Doors and Drawers That Stick. — The 

doors of a bookcase, china-closet or sideboard and 
the drawers of a sideboard, dresser or chiffonier 
often get so that they stick when you try to open 
or close them. 

This untoward condition is caused (1) by the 
piece of furniture not setting level and (2) by the 
wood swelling in damp weather. Before ever plan- 
ing the door or drawer try this expedient first. 

Cut out two wedges of wood 1 inch thick at the 
large end, 1 inch wide and 6 inches long and drive 
these under the different castors in turn thus raising 
the comers. Very often it will be found that a door 
or a drawer that has stuck before will, when the 
piece of furniture is raised on one comer a little, 
swing open and shut or slide out or in with as much 
freedom as when it was bought. 

A harder thing to remedy is the sticking caused 
by damp weather. Sometimes a door or a drawer 
can be made to work by rubbing French chalk on 
the places where it strikes the frame. If this does 
not do the business, then you can use your smooth 
plane if you do it very carefully, because if you 

98 



THE FURNITURE REPAIRER 

take off too mucli when the wood dries out there 
will be a gap when the door closes or a rattle if 
it is a drawer. 

Re-Seating Chairs.— Cane chairs and lots of 

other kinds are thrown away after the seats are worn 
out, but this is certainly a poor way to practice econ- 
omy around the house. 





A VENEER SEATS B FIBER BOARD SEATS 




C REMOVABLE READY 
MADE SEATS 

Fig. 54. — Beady made chair seats. 

The honest way is to re-seat the chairs and 
this can be done in three shakes of a dead lamb's 
tail by removing whatever kind of a seat the chair 
has and then putting on a veneer or fiber hoard or 
an upholstered seat, any one of which can be bought 
at prices ranging from 10 cents up to 75 cents each. 

Three-ply veneer seats are built up of three pieces 
of stock to prevent them from warping and these 
can be bought in various colors, see A Fig. 54. 
The fiber board seats, see B Fig. 54, can be had 

99 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

in various sizes, shapes and styles. They are nicely 
embossed in various designs and look and wear 
almost as well as leather. The veneer or the fiber 
board seats can be nailed in place with either round 
headed brass tacks or enameled upholsterer's tacks. 

A removable ready made chair seat, see C Fig. 
54, is built up of veneer stock and then covered 
with imitation black leather over elastic cotton. 
There are four hooks on the bottom of the seat to 
fasten it to the chair. 

Repairing Broken Chairs. — Cheaply made 

chairs go to pieces usually for the want of a little 
BRASS ROD 



V 



VI' 7/7^/C 



NEW PIECE 

Fig. 55.— a. Eepairing a chair round. 

glue. Whenever a round or any part of a chair 
works loose don't wait for the rest of it to follow suit ; 
but glue it in at once or the chair will surely go 
to pieces like the one-horse shay. 

If a round breaks off close to the leg, cut the 
round off smooth and make a piece of wood to build 
it up to its original length; drill a :J-inch hole 1^ 
inches in the round and clear through the piece; 
smear some glue on the abutting ends of the sticks 
and drive a ^ inch brass or iron rod through the 
piece and into the end, as shown at A in Eig. 55, and 
saw off the end of the rod with your hack saw. l^ow 
bore out the broken off piece in the leg and glue in the 

100 



THE FURNITURE REPAIRER 

round. To tighten np the legs while the glue is dry- 
ing loop a piece of strong cord around the legs just 




BIT OF WOOD AND 
TWISTED STRING 

Fig. 55. — B. Tightening up the legs. 

below the round as shown at B in Fig. 55, and 
tighten it up by twisting the cord with a stick. 

Arms of chairs that are broken can be fixed in 
much the same manner I have just described, that is 

101 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

by smoothing off the broken part, boring out the hole 
in the abutting part and setting in a metal or 
wooden dowel pin. 

Castors That Won't Fall Out. — It is very an- 
noying to have castors that persist in dropping out 
every time the corner of a bed, a table or a dresser 
is raised. 

You can put a castor in tight by slipping in two 
or three strips of sheet lead about iV inch thick, 
^ inch wide and as long as the stem of the castor 
and then driving the latter gently in. Don't strike 
the wheel with a hammer or even a mallet, but hold 
a cold chisel on the plate of the castor and strike 
the head of the chisel. 

Castors having what is called a grip-neck can be 
bought for as little as 10 cents a set and once in 
they will not drop out. 

Tightening Dresser and Sideboard Handles. 

— Knobs and handles are always coming loose and 
without a handy person and the right kind of tools 
they are seldom fixed. 

The reason handles and knobs get loose and come 
off is because the nuts on them are not tight enough 
to begin with. The constant pulling on the handles 
soon wears off the threads on the shank and on the 
nuts and then it is impossible to screw the latter on. 

l^ow right here is where your set of taps and dies 
comes in, for you can cut new threads on the shanks 
and by using new nuts they will be as good or bet- 
ter than when they were put on in Grand Rapids. 

102 



THE FURNITURE REPAIRER 

Another little trick is to slip on a loclc washer 
before you put on the nut and then the handle will 
never work loose again. 

Taking" Dents Out of Furniture. — If the dent 

or bruise is a small, shallow one it can generally 
be taken out by the following simple process: Put 
a few drops of warm water on it, then hold a very 
hot soldering copper as closely to it as you can 
without actually touching it, but do not hold the hot 
copper over it after the water has evaporated. Re- 
peat the operation until the bruise or dent disap- 
pears. 

Larger bruises and dents, if they are not too deep, 
can be removed by soaking a piece of clean blot- 
ting paper folded over several times in warm wa- 
ter; then lay it on the offending spot and place a 
hot flat iron on it to drive off the water. Repeat 
until the surface is level. For deep dents, cracks, 
etc., a filler is the only remedy. 

A good filler for this purpose can be made by 
melting 1 ounce of white resin and 1 ounce of yel- 
low wax in a pan, adding enough ocher, which can 
be had in various colors, to give it the color of 
the wood. Stir well and fill in while hot. This 
filler not only sticks firmly to the wood, but dries 
very hard. 

To Prevent Hinges from Creaking*. — Small 

hinges can be lubricated with machine oil, but oil 
is too light for door hinges; either lubricate the 
hinge with soap, or with graphite or better make a 

103 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

paste of soap, lard and graphite and rub it in well. 

How to Clean Furniture. — When the new finish 
of furniture has lost its luster it can be renovated bj 
washing it with a sponge wet in clean, cold water 
and wiping it as dry as possible with a piece of 
chamois skin. 

As fast as the chamois skin takes up the water, 
squeeze it out and keep on with the work. Never 
use a dry chamois on furniture and always rub it 
in the same direction, as cross or circular rubbing 
will leave marks. 

To remove white spots that sometimes appear on 
varnished furniture rub the surface with a soft, 
woolen cloth saturated with a few drops of linseed 
oil mixed with an equal amount of turpentine. 
When the spots have been rubbed away wipe the 
oil off dry with another soft clean cloth. 

A Good Furniture Varnish. — A good light var- 
nish can be made by dissolving 2 ounces of white 
shellac in |^ a pint of alcohol; strain it through a 
piece of fine cotton muslin, or some cheese cloth, 
and then add another ^ pint of alcohol. If you want 
a dark colored varnish use orange brown shellac in- 
stead of the white. Keep the varnish in a wide- 
mouthed bottle well corked to prevent it from evapo- 
rating. A pint can of good furniture varnish can 
be bought ready made for 25 or 35 cents according to 
quality. 

The varnish should be applied to furniture with 
a regular varnish brush made of black Chinese 

104 



THE FURNITURE REPAIRER 

bristles and preferably one having a chisel edge, 
A varnish brush of this kind 2 inches wide costs 
30 or 40 cents. When through using a varnish brush 
wash it out in alcohol and hang it up so that it will 
be in good form for the next time. 

A Good Furniture and Piano Polish. — A 

dandy all-round polish can be easily made by dis- 
solving 1^ ounces of white shellac in ^ pint of 
naphtha; strain each one separately and then put 
them in a bottle and mix well. 

To use the polish make a pad by folding over a 
soft piece of flannel and pour on enough polish so 
that it is saturated with it; then cover the flannel 
with a bit of fine, soft linen, put on a drop or two 
of linseed oil and rub the surface over lightly with 
a circular motion. Finally finish the job by rubbing 
off with a soft pad on which you have put a few 
drops of naphtha. 

A Fine Polish for Leather. — Dissolve enough 
beeswax in turpentine until it is about as thick as 
the cream you get if you live in New York, that 
is thin cream, and you will have a polish for leather 
upholstered furniture that can't be beaten. 

How to Re-Upholster Furniture. — Usually the 

first thing that wears out on an upholstered chair is 
the covering of the seat. 

If the chair has been a cheap one to begin with, 
the covering of both the seat and the back is gen- 
erally made of a very poor quality of brocaded silk 
and it is not long before it begins to look shabby. 

105 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

To re-upholster almost any kind of a piece of 
furniture is a very simple matter and one that you 
should delight in doing. The first step is to buy 
the piece of material you are to use for the cover- 
ing, and often you can get beautiful remnants of 
brocaded velour, embossed plush, or tapestry large 
enough to cover a seat or a back very cheaply. 

Then you will want some gimp, that is, the kind 
of binding upholsterers use, f inch wide to match 
the color of the covering you intend to use, and 
some gimp tacks, or sharp-pointed tacks about f inch 
long and having a small round head made especially 
for this kind of work. 

Take off the old gimp from the chair first and 
draw out all the tacks, being very careful not to 
mar the finish on the chair. After the gimp is off 
you will find that the covering is tacked down and 
this must also be removed but do not disturb the 
cotton filling. In all ordinary upholstered chairs 
there is a depression around the inside edge of the 
seat or back of the frame and this makes it easy 
to cut the covering to just fit this space. 

If you are using a covering of cheap tapestry or 
any kind of cotton goods, dampen it after you have 
cut it the right size and shape, tack it around the 
edge with some gimp tacks, and stretch it as you 
put it on. The purpose of dampening the covering 
is so that it will be perfectly tight when it dries. 

When this is done you can tack on the gimp; be- 
gin at one of the front comers and drive in the 

106 



THE FURNITURE REPAIRER 

tacks about IJ inches apart and along the outside 
edge rather than in the middle. Use your nail set 
to drive the tacks home. When you come to a cor- 
ner don't cut the gimp, but fold it over until it 
just fits and then tack it down. After you have 
the gimp on all around and are back to the corner 
where you started from, fold under the edge of the 
gimp and tack it down smooth. 

All kinds of upholsterer's supplies can be bought 
of dealers in furniture and the coverings can be 
bought at dry-goods stores. 



CHAPTEE VIII 
THE HOME DECORATOR 

About WaJl Paper.— Wall paper is usually sold 
on the basis of a single roll, that is, a strip 16 inches 
wide and 8 yards long, but as there is twice this 
length of paper on each roll as it comes from the 
manufacturer, it is called a double roll and of course 
you pay twice as much for it as the price quoted 
for a single roll. 

Wall paper is especially designed for the kind 
of room whose walls are to be covered. Embossed 
and oatmeal papers are the proper thing at this writ- 
ing for parlors, libraries and dining rooms, and floral 
and striped papers are nice for bed rooms. The ceil- 
ings of these rooms can be halsomined or they can 
be papered with what is called independent ceiling 
paper, that is, a paper different from that used on 
the walls, while varnished tile paper is good for the 
kitchen, bath room and wherever else a sanitary paper 
is needed. 

When making your selection of wall paper it is 
well to bear in mind that a light shade of paper 
should be used where the rooms are dark and that 
darker shades of paper may be used to advantage 
for rooms that are light. 

108 



THE HOME DECORATOR 
The Amount of Paper Required.— The first 

thing to do before buying your paper is to find out 
how many rolls you will need. 

If you are going to paper the ceilings and side 
walls of a room, measure the width of the ceiling 
and divide this measurement by 18, since this is the 
width of a roll, and this will give you the number 
of cuts of paper to be used on the ceiling. 

]S^w for a ceiling 8 to 11 feet long you should 
allow four cuts to a double roll; for a ceiling 11 to 
14 feet long allow three cuts to a double roll, and 
for a ceiling 14 to 20 feet allow only two cuts. Sup- 
pose your ceiling is 7 feet 6 inches wide and be- 
tween 8 and 11 feet long. Dividing 18 into 7 feet 
6 inches (or 90 inches), you will have 5 as a 
quotient, in which case you will need five strips or 
cuts; and since you can only get four cuts out of 
a double roll if the ceiling is from 8 to 11 feet, 
you should get one double roll and a single roll to 
boot. 

The side walls are measured for paper much in 
the same way as the ceiling. Find the total length 
of the room, that is, the lengths of the four walls 
added together, and divide by 18 to find the number 
of cuts needed. For a 7 foot 6 inch high wall you 
can get six cuts from a double roll ; for an 8 to 9 
foot wall you can allow five cuts to the double roll, 
and for a wall over 9 feet high allow only four cuts 
to the double roll. 

Should you want to paper a room 9 feet square 

109 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

and whose side walls are about 7 feet 6 inches high, 
the measurement of the four walls is 4 by 9, or 36 
feet, l^ow changing this to inches, you will have 
432 inches and this divided by 18 gives 24 cuts as 
a quotient. Hence for a room 9 feet square and 
about 7 feet 6 inches high you will need 24 cuts, 
and since you can only get six cuts from a double roll 
to be used on a wall 7 feet 6 inches high, you will 
of course need four double rolls to paper the 
room. 
The Tools and Apparatus You Need. — Like 

every other trade, you must have the right tools if 
you are to do a creditable job. The first tool needed 
is a pair of paper-hangers shears (75 cents) 10, 12 
or 14 inches long, to trim the paper with. 

E'ext you .will need a paste brush and this should 
be about 7 or 8 inches wide and set with Eussia hard 
bristles; and when buying any kind of a brush be 
sure that the center is set with bristles and not 
merely with a piece of wood. A good paste brush 
costs not less than $1.50 and on up to $5.00. 

A smoothing brush is better than a smoothing 
roller; get one 10 to 12 inches wide at a cost of 
from 75 cents to $1.00. A seam roller is also a nec- 
essary tool and one with a slightly rounded maple 
face can be bought for 20 cents or so. A good 
scraping knife with a 4-inch steel blade can be had 
for half a dollar. All of these tools are shown in 
Fig. 56. 

Last of all, but by no means the least, are the 

110 



THE HOME DECORATOR 

accessories. These consist of a galvanized iron pail 
for the paste ; two planed and trued boards 10 inches 
wide and 6 or 7 feet long for a pasting table, and a 
plank about 2 inches thick, 8 inches wide and 3 feet 
shorter than the room. You can either make or 
borrow some horses to stand the plank on, or better. 



12 



-.^ 



papermangerIs 

SHEARS 





SEAM ROLLER 



WALL PAPER 
SCRAPING KNIFE 





PAPERHANGERS 
PASTE BRUSH 



WALL PAPER 
SMOOTHING BRUSH 



Fig. 56. — Tools needed for paper hanging. 



use two step ladders. A fine pasting table can be 
made of two ordinary flour barrels with a 20 inch 
strip of wood nailed across the top of each. 

How to Prepare the Walls.— Having the paper, 
tools and accessories, you are ready to begin opera- 
tions. Move all of the furniture out of the room 
that you can, and the pieces that you can't move out 
cover with some old sheets. Take up the carpet, 
and if it is your first job it is just as well to spread 
some old newspapers around on the floor, that is, if 
it is a finished floor. 

JSTow take your paste brush and with some clear, 

111 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

cold water soak tlie paper on the wall as far as you 
can reach, standing in one place on the plank. After 
a few minutes take your scraping knife and scrape 
a small spot; if it scrapes easily, you have soaked 
the old paper enough, but if it scrapes hard, or there 
is more than one thickness of paper on the wall, you 
should wet the paper as many times as there are 
thicknesses. The main thing to do, however, is to 
give the water plenty of time to soak in before 
scraping. 

Should there be any holes or cracks in the wall 
point them up ; a good way to do this is to fill an old 
pan about half full of plaster-of-paris and then fill 
the pan up with water, letting it soak until it has 
taken up all the water, or until it stops bubbling. 
If any water is left, pour it off. After it has set- 
tled use from one side of the pan only, being careful 
not to mix it. In this way you can use plaster-of- 
paris for 30 minutes or more without its hardening. 
Use a wide scraper to put the plaster-of-paris in the 
cracks. 

How to Size the Walls. — The next thing to do 

is to make and apply a mixture, or sizing, as it is 
called. To 3 pints of cold water mix half a pound 
of ground glue and let it soak for half an hour, 
stirring occasionally; then add 6 quarts of boiling 
water, let it cool for a short while and apply with a 
brush. This makes enough sizing for an average 
room. 

How to Make the Paste. — ^When the sizing is 

112 



THE HOME DECORATOR 

dry you should then make your paste for the paper. 
A good paste can be made by mixing 2| pounds of 
wheat-flour with enough cold water to make a thick 
batter, and then thinning it down with more water 
to the consistency of flap- jacks. Pour on boiling 
water, stirring it until it becomes thick, and add a 
handful of granulated alum. Let it cool before 
using, and if possible make it the night before, v 

How to Paste the Paper. — Having measured 
the exact length of your ceiling, the next step is to 
cut and paste your paper. Cut the roll of paper 
into the required lengths, adding 9 inches to each 
end of each strip so that it will hang down the 
side walls. In this way you will have allowed plenty 
of paper for matching the pattern. Although this 
way is a trifle wasteful, it saves much time and la- 
bor which you would spend in matching before- 
hand. 

Having cut the strips, take one and lay it so that 
the top of the paper is at the right end of the table 
as you stand facing it. l^ow starting at the right- 
hand end, paste about two-thirds of the strip and 
then fold over the right end so that the pasted sides 
are together and the top of the strip comes exactly 
to where you have left off pasting. ISText paste the 
left end and fold it over until it meets the right 
and be sure to get the edges of the paper exactly 
even. 

How to Trim the Paper. — After you have 
pasted and folded the strip of paper, it is ready to 

113 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

be trimmed, and it should never be trimmed before. 
Take your shears and cut off the blank, or selvage, 
edge of the strip which is away from you. 

How to Paper the Ceiling^. — In order to get the 
first strip of paper on straight draw a chalk line on 
the ceiling lY inches from the walls; take the pasted 
strip, stand on the raised plank and open up the 
long fold; taking the long end of the strip in the 
right hand and guiding it with the left, paste the 
selvage edge of the paper on the line from right to 
left. 

After it is started use the smoothing brush to 
sweep it on with and shift it if the selvage edge does 
not butt the line exactly. To hang the next strip 
reverse the operation, that is, take the end of the 
strip in your left hand, turn your back to the strip 
already on and work the strip on the ceiling from 
right to left. Follow this rule until the ceiling is 
finished. Of course, as you hang each strip, you 
must take care to match the pattern accurately and 
the extra 9 inches on each end of the strip will give 
you plenty of leeway to do so. 

How to Paper the Walls. — When you come to 
the walls measure them from the ceiling to the top 
of the baseboard and cut the first strip off 6 inches 
longer than this measurement. 

"Now starting at the right of a door hang the first 
strip, taking pains to have it exactly straight up and 
down. Next take the roll and match the next strip 
before you cut it, to the one you have just hung 

114 



THE HOME DECORATOR 

on the wall; then cut, paste, trim and hang it. In 
this way the matching can be easily figured out. If 
a border is to be used it is hung in the same manner 
as the paper, that is, working from the right around 
to the left. After you have made a seam it should 
be smoothed with a seam roller before it is dry. 

A Few Helpful Hints. — In starting a side wall 
begin at a point where mis-matching will show the 
least. A good place to start is at the right of any 
large break in the wall, such as a door or a bay 
window. 

It is necessary to size a new wall before hanging 
the paper. Sizing has two objects, and these are 
to make the paper stick tight to the wall and to 
make it easier to remove the paper when you 
want to. 

For Uncrustas, burlaps and pressed papers add 
about 1 tablespoonful of Venetian turpentine to the 
pail of paste. This can be bought at any drug 
store. 

If a painted wall has a high gloss it must be cut 
before hanging the paper. To do this make a glue 
size of i pound of ground glue which you have 
soaked for half an hour and added 4 quarts of boil- 
ing water to it. It should then have 1^ pounds of 
plaster-of-paris stirred into it. This size is used 
while warm and it should be stirred often to keep the 
plaster-of-paris from settling, and apply it with a 
brush. 

When a kalsomined wall is to be papered the kal- 

115 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

somine sliould first be softened with a brush and then 
scraped and washed off with a sponge. Of course 
the wall should then be sized. 

Where an old whitewashed wall is to be papered 
you should first scrape off the loose whitewash and 
then go over the wall with equal parts of cider vine- 
gar and water. After drying it should be sized 
with glue size as before. 

If the wall is damp, it should be lined with damp- 
proof lining paper. 

Curing Damp Walls.— Where paper is to be 
hung or paint is to be put on a wall that has a tend- 
ency to hold moisture, the first thing to do is to pre- 
vent the moisture from coming through. This is 
done by hanging the wall with lining paper first, all 
joints being hutted, not lapped. 

Two kinds of lining paper are used, the kind de- 
pending on whether the wall is to be painted or 
papered. If painted, the lining paper is clean and 
white on both sides, but if papered, then the lining 
paper has one of its sides tar-faced. If the latter 
kind is used, the tar-faced side should be pasted on 
the wall and the clean side sized in the usual way. 
Only walls that show no signs of drying out need 
to be lined. This paper can be bought at any wall 
paper store. 

How to Kalsomine a Ceiling". — Very few j>a- 

per-hangers still use the old fashioned hand mixed 
kalsomine, and all the up-to-date ones use a hot 
water preparation, that is, a ready made kalsomine 

116 



THE HOME DECORATOR 

which needs only the addition of hot water to pre- 
pare it for use. 

A good kalsomine of this kind is sold under the 
trade name of moresco; it is made by Benjamin 
Moore, ^New York, and can be bought at paint stores 
generally. For a 12 foot square ceiling take about 
8 pounds of white moresco and put it in a 10 quart 
pail, taking care to note how far up the sides of 
the pail the dry moresco comes. 

!Now stir in enough hot water to bring the moresco 
up to the same point after it is mixed. When buy- 
ing colors for moresco get moresco colors and stir 
the coloring in while the moresco is hot. The mo- 
resco is then chilled by setting the bucket in a tub 
of cracked ice or very cold water until it is gelled,, 
and then put on with a kalsomine brush. 

Before kalsomining the ceiling you should go 
over it with a size made of equal parts of white 
shellac and denatured alcohol, that is, if the ceiling 
is stained; but if it is clean and has never been 
kalsomined before, size it with equal parts of ceiling 
varnish and benzine. Whichever you use, allow the 
size to dry six hours and then put on a thin coat 
of white lead and turpentine with a little liquid 
dryer in it. 

How to Make Stenciled Decorations. — ^Where 

the side walls of a room are kalsomined, a very pretty 
effect can be obtained by making a border with a 
stencil. 

A stencil is a piece of heavy oiled paper with 

117 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

a design cut througli it with interrupted lines, as 
shown at A in Fig. 57. Oiled stencil paper can be 
bought of the larger houses that deal in painters' 
supplies and you can draw your own designs and 



BM^'^' 




•••••••#^•0 



Fig. 57. — A. Oiled paper stencil. 

cut them out with the point of a sharp pocket knife, 
or you can buy the stencils ready made, in which 
case ask for decorating stencils. 

To use a stencil get a stencil brush (25 cents), 




Fig. 57. — B. A stencil brush. 



see B, Fig. 57, and then mix a very little moresco 
stenciling color with hot water, but the coloring must 
not be too deep for too much contrast will spoil the 
artistic effect. Beautiful fresco colors in fawn, 

118 



THE HOME DECORATOR 

leather brown, carmine and myrtle green are made 
especially for stenciling effects in dining rooms. 
Fig. 58 shows how a border is stenciled on. 

Interior Varnishing. — The keynote of success in 
doing a good job of varnishing is to have the fumi- 




FiG. 58. — Stenciling on a border. 



ture, floor, or whatever you intend to varnish per- 
fectly clean and dry. 

After the varnish has been put on, both light and 
air are necessary to make it dry and harden prop- 
erly, but do not let the wind blow on the varnished 
surface. The best results are obtained when the air 
is dry and the temperature of the room is about 70 
degrees Fahrenheit. Use plenty of varnish on your 

119 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

bnisli and apply it witli long even strokes, rubbing 
it the way of the grain. 

Varnishing New Floors and Woodwork. — 

New floors should have all the cracks filled up with 
any good prepared filler paste. Boyle's is as good as 
any for this purpose. It should be mixed with tur- 
pentine and then do a strip say 2 feet wide and the 
length of the room first. 

When the gloss has left the filler it should be 
rubbed across the grain with excelsior, and then an- 
other strip should be done and so on. The filler 
should be allowed to dry for 24 hours and a shellac 
varnish made of 1 pint of orange shellac, 1 pint of 
white shellac and 1 pint of denatured alcohol should 
be applied to the floor. After it has dried overnight 
give it a heavy coat of Valentine's felspar varnish, 
which you should use undiluted. 

Varnishing Old Floors and Woodwork. — The 

right way to go about varnishing an old floor is to 
remove all of the old varnish first. The best way to 
do this is to use a liquid paint and varnish remover, 
such as the one sold under the trade name of 
ad-el-ite. 

It can be applied with an old scrubbing brush 
and should be allowed to soak into the floor for 
20 minutes, when it must be scraped clean with 
an old putty knife. If any of the varnish then re- 
mains, another application of the varnish remover 
should be given it and the floor scraped again. 

After you have cleaned 3 or 4 feet of the floor, 

120 



THE HOME DECORATOR 

fill the cracks with the filler and nib the space 
thoroughly with benzine put on with a flannel cloth. 
The floor is then done all over in this way and 
given a coat of the felspar varnish. 

Interior Painting. — The chief thing to insure a 
good job of interior painting is to have the surface 
clean and free from smoke, dirt or grease, and all 
these foreigTi substances can be removed from the 
wood with turpentine put on with plenty of elbow 
grease and a flannel cloth. When it has been washed 
well it can be re-painted with whatever color you 
want to use. To make the surface look glossy you 
must mix the paint with oil, and to give it a dull 
or flat look you must thin it with turpentine. 

Cleaning Painted Walls. — To clean a painted 
wall add four tablespoonfuls of any kind of soap- 
powder, Gold-Dust preferred, to one quart of boiling 
water and cool with two quarts of cold water. Ap- 
ply it to the wall with a clean brush, letting it soak 
in for 5 or 10 minutes, but do not let it run on to 
a part already treated. Wash it off with warm wa- 
ter and let it dry. 

To Remove Old Paint. — Old paint should be 
removed as described for removing varnish from 
floors with ad-el-ite. The surface should be washed 
with benzine after all the old paint has been 
removed. 

Interior Enameling. — One of the easiest to put 
on and at the same time nicest finishes for certain 
kinds of furniture, interior woodwork, metal ceilings, 

121 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

bathrooms, etc., is prepared liquid paint sold under 
the name of enamel. Liquid enamel can be bought 
in white and black and in many different tints, and 
when it is laid on and dries it leaves a hard smooth 
surface. It costs about 40 cents a pint. 




Fig, 59. — Coating the paper with isinglas size. 

How to Put on Stained Glass Paper.— 

Stained glass paper, as it is called, is a tough paper 
designed and printed to imitate stained glass and 
made translucent with oils. It gives quite a pleas- 
ing effect when used for transoms, sash doors, cozy 
corner and bathroom windows. 

122 



THE HOME DECORATOR 

Stained glass paper is sold in sheets, or sections, 
8 J by 8^ inches square; it takes two sheets to cover 
one square foot of glass and it costs 4 cents a sheet. 

To put on stained glass paper coat the paper with 
isinglass size — a viscous solution used for fixing the 




Fig. 60. — Putting the paper on the window. 



paper to the glass, which the dealers sell with the 
paper — and cover the back of the paper thoroughly, 
using a varnish brush to put it on with, as shown 
in Fig. 59. ^ow put the paper on the glass as 
shown in Fig. 60, and smooth it out with a celluloid 
scraper^ that is, a stiff piece of celluloid about 2 

123 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

inches long wliicli is set in a wood handle, in order 
to remove the air and excess size. 

In putting on the paper B.x the corners first and 
the borders next; lap the black edges of the pa- 
per so that they will be of the same width. Then 
apply the sheet as shown in the illustration and 
rub it down with the celluloid scraper. Be sure the 
air is thoroughly rubbed out and the paper smooth 
on the glass. Go ahead until you have covered your 
window. To clean your hands when applying paper 
use a cloth saturated with kerosene. 

Another kind of stained glass paper is called 
vitrophane and this is sold in rolls 18 inches wide 
and 13^ feet long and in half rolls 6f feet long. It 
costs 60 cents per roll and is easily applied. 



CHAPTER IX 
HANDY HELPS FOR THE HOUSE 

How to Make a Self -Drying Soap Stand.— A 

self -drying soap stand can be easily made of a block 
of soft wood 1 inch thick, 3^ inches wide and 4 
inches long. Put the block in a vise and saw off 



ONE HALF IMCH 
GROOVES 



SIDEBOARD 



•5\ 



«... 




Fig. 61. — A self-drying soap stand. 



the ends as shown in Pig. 61, and plane it smooth. 
Cut four grooves with your half-round gouge on 
the face of the block, leaving about ^ an inch be- 
tween the grooves. Screw two triangular blocks to 

125 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

the under side of the grooved board and screw two 
pieces of wood J inch thick. 1 inch wide and 2 inches 
long to the ends of the board. 

"Next drill two ^-inch holes in the block half an 
inch from the bottom; cut out two round plugs, or 



TRUriniOrt 



BASE. 
BOf^RD 




CMEESE OR 
BAITHOLOB 



Fig. 62. — A. 'A self-setting mouse trap. 



cheeks, 1 inch long and set them into the holes 
and the stand is done. The soap when placed in 
this stand will not get soggy and, different from a 
soap dish, the water drains off of its own accord. 

How to Make a Self -Setting Mouse Trap.— 

Most traps in the market are made to sell rather 
than to catch mice with. This one works the other 
way about and besides it is very simple and self- 
setting. 

Take a cigar box and cut out a tapering board 2 

126 



HANDY HELPS FOR THE HOUSE 



inches wide at one end, 4 inches wide at the other 
end and 8 inches long. Cut out two pieces of wood 
1 inch wide and 2 inches long and screw them to 
the ends of a base^board made of pine 1 inch thick, 
2^ inches wide and 7 inches long. Drill a iV inch 
hole in the middle of each of the side blocks, put 
the tapering board between the blocks and put in 

TRAP IN ACTION 



MOUSE 

\ / 

PAIL ^ 
OF 
WATER 





VsU 



Fig. 62. — B. The mouse had a right to live. 

a thin screw so that the board will be pivoted and 
free to move. 

Drive a brad into the small end of the board to 
hold the bait and then you are ready for Mr. and 
Mrs. Mouse and all the little mouses, as Fig. 62 
shows. Set the trap on the edge of a table or other 
convenient place, directly over a bucket of water. 
When the mouse walks on to the movable board after 
the cheese it tips out from under him and he drops 
into the water. Since the wide end of the board 
is heavier than the narrow end, the instant the mouse 

127 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

has walked the plank the trap resets itself and is 
ready for another victim. A larger size can be 
used with equal advantage for trapping rats. 

How to Make an Adjustable Book Rack. — 

Saw out of ^ inch thick hard wood stuff of any 
kind two blocks 4 inches wide and 5 inches long and 
round off one end as shown at A in Eig. 63. 




SCREW 
HERE 

Fig. 63. — A. An adjustable book block. 

Cut out two pieces of sheet brass or heavy sheet 
tin, 4 inches on the side, and drill three holes along 
one edge. Screw each piece of brass or tin to the 
bottom of each block. Screw each piece to the bot- 
tom of one of the blocks with J-inch flat-headed wood 
screws and drive them in so that the heads will be 
flush — ^that is, even — ^with the under side of the 
sheet of metal. 

Cover the bottom of each piece of sheet brass, or 
tin, by gluing on a piece of woolen or other soft 
cloth, the purpose of which is to keep the metal from 

128 



HANDY HELPS FOR THE HOUSE 

marring tlie vamished surface of tlie table. When 
finished the rack will look like B in Fig. 63. By 
placing two or three books on each end of the rack 
any number of books can be set in between and all 
of them will be held firmly in place. 




Fig. 63. — ^B. The book blocks in use. 



How to Make a Quick Ice Cream Freezer.— 

This is an ice cream freezer made on a new princi- 
ple, for the ice is put on the inside of the can and the 
cream is poured on the outside. 

To make this freezer get a stout quart tin can 
and make a cover to fit it tight enough to keep it 
from leaking. Find the exact center of the bottom 
of the can and the cover with your dividers and 
make a dent in each of them with your center punch ; 
now drill a J-inch hole through each one, take an 
iron rod ^ inch in diameter and about 7 inches 
longer than the can and brighten it with a file at 
the place where it is to be soldered to the bottom. 

Bend the end of the rod to make a crank as shown 
at A in Fig. 64. Slip the can with the cover on it over 

129 



THE HO:\IE HANDY BOOK 

tlie straight end of the rod so that the bottom of the 
can will be next to the crank and solder it to the 




Fig. 64. — The can of a quick ice cream freezer. 

rod one inch from the latter. This fixes the can 
to the rod and leaves the cover free to be put on 




Fig. 65. — The stand of a quick ice cream freezer. 

130 



HANDY HELPS FOR THE HOUSE 

and taken off of the rod which is to form the 
spindle. 

For the bearings cut out two blocks of wood 1 inch 
thick, 2 inches wide and 4 inches high and notch 
the ends as shown at B in Fig. 65 ; screw these blocks 
to a board 1 inch thick, 8 inches wide and 12 inches 
long, which will serve as a basa 




Fig. 66. — The ice cream freezer in use. 



You are ready now to make some ice cream, which 
TOU proceed to do by filling the can with cracked ice 
and rock salt; then slip the cover over the rod, and 
put it tightly on the can and set this revolving ele- 
ment into the notches of the wood blocks, when the 
can can be turned very easily, as shown in Fig. QQ. 

The next move is to wipe the can off clean, then 
begin to turn it and pour your ice cream mixture in 
a thin stream very slowly on the outside of the 
can, when it will freeze there and it will be no time 
until you have enough of the frozen stuff to make 

131 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

a dish, when it can be scraped from the can. Try- 
it and be happy. 

How to Make a Shower Bath While You 

Wait. — By a shower bath while you wait I mean 
one that can be rigged np in ^ve minutes. All you 
need for this improvised bit of civilization is a dou- 




FiG. 67. — A. An improvised shower bath. 



ble pulley wheel, a couple of lengths of clothesline, 
a screw hook and a sprinkling can. 

Thread the ropes through the blocks of the pulley 
over the wheels, screw the iron hooks into the ceil- 
ing and slip the ring of the pulley over the hook. 

Fill a sprinkling can with water, tie one end 
of the long rope to the bail of the can and tie one 

132 



HANDY HELPS FOR THE HOUSE 

end of the short rope to the handle of the can. Hoist 
the can above your head and over the tub, if you 
are taking your shower in a room, and tie the other 




Fig. 67. — B. He would fain be clean. 



end of the long rope to a cleat which you have pre- 
viously screwed to the wall. 

!N'ow by pulling down on the free end of the short 
rope you will have a most delightful bath ranging 
all the way from a gentle shower to a cloudburst, 

133 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

depending on how hard you pull the rope. The 
whole scheme is shown in Fig. 67. 

How to Make a Window Ventilator. — It is as 

necessary for your skin to breath pure air as it is 




Fig. 68. — ^A window ventilator. 

to be saturated with heat, but it is uncomfortable, if 
not indeed dangerous, to sit in a draft in winter 
especially, but this is just what happens if you are 
near a raised window. 

A good and cheaply made ventilator is shown in 

134 



HANDY HELPS FOR THE HOUSE 

Fig. 68. Make a frame as long as the window sash 
is wide so that it has two sides, each of which is 
4 inches wide, and fasten them together with a block 
4 inches square screwed on at each end. In the 
picture the ends are not shown so that the direction 
of the flow of the air currents through the ventilator 
may be followed. 

Take a board 6 inches wide and as long as the 
frame and bevel off one edge and then screw it 
to the lower strip of the ventilator frame, when it 
should set at an angle of about 30 degrees. To re- 
lieve the strain on the board, wires can be fastened to 
the top of the latter and run down and fixed to the 
upper strip of the frame. Cut out two triangular 
end pieces and screw these to the ends of the beveled 
board. 

To place it in position raise the window, set the 
box on the sill, pull the window down on it and you 
will have a constant supply of fresh air without any 
short cut drafts. 

How to Make a Window Cupboard. — This is 

a contrivance that you ought to make, for it will 
greatly add to the facilities of the kitchen. It is a 
ventilated cupboard that sets outside the window and 
in which meats, vegetables, and other edibles can be 
kept sweet and clean. 

Build up a frame-work as large as the lower half 
of the window where the cupboard is to be used as 
shown in Fig. 69, and then saw off and plane smooth 
enough laths to make slated blinds just like window 

135 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

shutters. In fact if you can get hold of a pair of old 
shutters you can saw them in two in the middle, and 
these will make admirable slatted sides for the frame. 
A solid bottom made of boards should now be 
nailed in the frame and a shelf should be put in 




Fig. 69. — A window cupboard. 



about half-way between the bottom and the top. The 
top should project a couple of inches all around the 
edges of the frame and slant down a little, and, 
finally, it should be covered with tin or roofing paper. 
Before the shelf is fastened in cover the three sides 
with wire netting to keep out flies and other insects, 
and it is a good scheme to make a screen door for 

136 



HANDY HELPS FOR THE HOUSE 

the inside of the cupboard. Screw or nail the cup- 
board to the outside of the window and put a couple 
of angle braces under it to relieve the weight. 



BOARD 




STONE 

SAND 
HARCOAt 
SAND 

HOLES 



Fig. 70. — ^A cheap water cooler and filter. 



How to Make a Cheap Water Filter and 

Cooler. — This filter will supply the family with 
drinking water as clear as White Rock and twice as 
natural as Red Raven Splits. 

Get two small kegs and scald them out until they 
are perfectly clean; bore a hole in one of the kegs 
near the bottom and fit in a faucet. This keg forms 

137 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

the cooler. Saw or cut out a hole 3 or 4 inches in 
diameter in the bottom of the other keg and place a 
saucer upside down over it. 

Put in enough clean pebbles to form a layer on 
the bottom of the keg a couple of inches deep. On 
top of this put a layer of clean coarse sand 1 inch 
thick, then a layer of fine sand, then a layer of 
powdered charcoal, with the dust blown out of it, 
two inches thick, and on top of this put a layer of 
fine sand; finally lay a board over the sand to keep 
it in place when the water is poured in. A cross sec- 
tion view of the whole apparatus is shown in Fig. 70. 

Water that is murky or discolored with iron after 
it has passed through this filter will come out as clear 
as though it had been distilled. 

How to Make an Efficient Fire Extinguisher. 

— Get a sheet of heavy tin and cut out a piece S^ 
inches wide and 9^ inches long, roll it into a tube 3 
inches in diameter and solder the seam well. 

Scribe the arc of a circle, the radius of which is 5 
inches (since the diameter is 10 inches), and make 
the arc 8^ inches long and then scribe a smaller arc 
4^ inches long inside the first arc as shown at A in 
Fig. 71. 

Eoll the piece of tin up in the form of a cone and 
make the large end 3^ inches in diameter and the 
small end f inch in diameter, solder the seam and 
then solder the cone to the end of the tube as shown 
at B in Fig. 71. 

Cut out a circular block of wood 2|- inches in di- 

138 



HANDY HELPS FOR THE HOUSE 

ameter and cut a groove all around its peripheiy with 
your gouge; wrap the groove with cord until it fita 
snugly into the tube, and yet so that it can be worked 




Fig. 71. — A. The tin cone for the end of the tube. 



like a piston, and oil the cord well with machine oil. 
Cut out another circular block 3 inches in diameter 
and drill a ^ inch hole in the center of both of the 
pieces of wood. 




Fig. 71. — B. The fire extinguisher in use. 

Cut a strip of hard wood 3 inches long and 1 inch 
square, plane off the sharp edges to make a handle, 
and bore a :|-inch hole in its middle. Get an iron rod 
i inch in diameter and 10 inches long, cut threads on 

139 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

both ends and screw a nut on one of them. Slip the 
piston over one end and screw on another nut to hold 
it fast; slip the other wooden disk over the rod and 
then put on another nut ; set on the handle and screw 
on another nut to keep it in place. 

Cork up the small end of the squirt-gun and fill 
the tube with ammonia water made by mixing 5 
parts of copperas, 20 parts of ammonium sulphate 
and 125 parts of water; when nearly full insert the 
piston and screw the wooden head to the barrel of the 
squirt-gun and your fire extinguisher is ready for 
use as shown at B in Fig. 71. 

Now when fire breaks out pull the cork and by 
pushing the piston home, a stream of ammonia water 
will play upon the flames and soon put out the fire. 
This is a very efficient fire extinguisher and it is 
easier to use it than it is to get insurance afterward. 

How to Make an Aquarium. — To make an 
aquarium is not a hard thing to do if you do it the 
right way. Get a piece of cypress if possible, or else 
oak will do, 1 inch thick, 18 inches wide and 5 feet 
5 inches long. Saw off two end pieces 17 inches 
long and saw off the bottom which should be exactly 
2 feet long. 

Now a half-inch from each side of the end piecee 
cut a groove with your chisel ^ an inch deep and 
groove the bottom lengthwise along the edges the 
same way. Screw the two end boards to the ends of 
the bottom board with thin 1 J inch brass wood screws 
as shown in Fig. 72. 

140 



HANDY HELPS FOR THE HOUSE 

The next thing is to get two double thick sheets of 
clean window glass 17^ inches wide bj 23 inches long 
for the front and back of the aquarium. Slide the 




Fig. 72. — An aquarium. 

panes into the grooves and see to it that they fit 
snugly. You are then ready to cement the glass in 
and make all the cracks water-tight. 

To make the cement take 1 pound of resin and add 
i pound of tar and J pound of linseed oil. Melt 
them together over a gentle fire and with this com- 

141 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

pound fill all of the cracks. Run a stout piece of 
wire around the top of the aquarium to keep the 
water from springing the end boards apart, and after 
the cement has dried for 24 hours test the tanks for 
leaks. If none appear give the frame a coat of shel- 
lac varnish and paint it if you think it will improve 
its appearance. 

When the paint is dry spread some white sand 
over the bottom, and rockwork — which fancy fish like 
— can be made by melting bottles in a hot fire. Add 
a few fresh water plants, and with your gold-fish and 
a few man-eating sharks your aquarium will be a joy 
for a long time to come. 

How to Make a Sleeping Window. — One of 

the surest ways of gaining health is sleeping out-of- 
doors, but as conditions, especially in the city, often 
make this impossible, a sleeping window is the next 
best thing. 

Make a frame according to the dimensions shown 
in Fig. 73. Use good clear hickory, oak or spruce 1 
inch thick and 2 inches wide and screw the pieces 
together with brass wood screwSj The braces are 
bolted to the frame with iron bolts J inch in diameter, 
and through the outside ends of the braces J-inch 
holes are bored ; a :i-inch iron rod is slipped through 
the holes and nuts are screwed on. The whole frame 
is then painted green or with some other color of 
paint. 

Tack a double piece of canvas with upholsterer's 
tacks over the bed of the frame, that is, its lower 

142 



HANDY HELPS FOR THE HOUSE 

part, and finally cover the whole frame with cotton 
mosquito netting or wire netting, which is better. 
As a precaution against bad weather a piece of wa- 



VA)lNDOW FRAr^E. 




WIMOOW^ILL 



H^f"' 



Fig. 73. — A sleeping window. 



terproof canvas, rubber blanket, or oilcloth should 
be fixed to the upper frame so that it will cover it 
and the windy side and so make your sleeping win- 
dow water tight. 

How to Make a Folding Bath-Tub. — If you 
must have a tub when you take your hawth, here is 
one that like your bed you can take up and walk 
away with, and like your tent you can fold up and 
silently steal away with. 

To make the tub you will need the following ma- 

143 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

terial: Two strips of wood 3 by 3 inches square 
and 5 feet long for the top rails; two strips 2 by 2 
inches square and 5^ feet long for the lower braces ; 
four sticks 2 by 2 inches square, 2 feet 3 inches long 
for the legs; two cross sticks 1 inch thick, 2 inches 
wide and 20 inches long for the side braces ; two bolts 



HIM&E 




DOWEL PIN 

Pig. 74. — A. The frame of a folding bath-tub. 



•J an inch in diameter and 5 inches long fitted with 
nuts and washers, and two wrought-iron flap 
hinges. 

Begin by boring a -J-inch hole through the middle 
of each of the four sticks for the legs, bolting each 
pair of sticks together and bore a hole 2 inches from 

144: 



HANDY HELPS FOR THE HOUSE 

the end of each leg. Spread the legs apart a distance 
of 2 feet and cut the ends off nearest the holes so 
that the legs will set flat on the floor as shown at A in 
Fig. 74. The tops of the legs must be sawed off 
square. These things done, screw the hinges to the 
squared ends of the legs and to the top rails. 



SEW - 

^JERE 



DOUBLE PIECE 
OF CANVMS 



.SEW HERE 
MERE 



FOLD OYER 




FOLD OVER 



FOLD IN 
TOP 




Fig. 74. — B, Making the canvas tub. 



Cut the ends of the long 2 by 2 strips down to 1 
inch in diameter and 4 inches back so that they will 
fit into the holes in the legs of the horses and project 
through 2 inches ; next bore a 1 inch hole in the end 
of each of the cross sticks and slip the round ends of 
the long strips into these; and finally drill a ^-inch 
hole through the round ends for a nail, or a cotter- 
pin, to hold the legs and cross sticks in place. 

To make the tub get a piece of canvas 6 feet wide 

145 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

and 9 feet long and waterproof it. This can be done 
by stretching the canvas on a frame, giving it several 
coats of boiled linseed oil mixed with a little dryer 
and set it in the sunshine to dry ; it can then be given 
a coat of shellac varnish or painted white. 

To shape the canvas into a tub double the canvas 
over lengthwise with the painted side in and sew up 
the ends of it ; fold in each end 2 feet as shown at B 
in Fig. 74, and double over the top edge of each end 
to make it straight, when you will have a V-shaped 
tub. Now set it into the frame and tack the edges to 
the top rails with brass upholsterer's tacks, fill it 
with water and play you are a submersibla 



CHAPTER X 

ODDS AND ENDS 
SHOP HELPS 

How to Clean Files. — 'NeYer let your files get 
full of dirt or of the materials you are filing, for this 
prevents the teeth from cutting the work as they 
should and it makes them look as if they were worn 
out. 

To clean files properly buy a file card for 10 cents 
and brush out the files after you have used them. 
Files are usually oily when you buy them, but you 
can remove it by filing a piece of charcoal with them 
and then brushing it out with the file card. 

Watch and Machine Oils. — A suitable oil for 
clocks and other fine mechanism must be of such a 
nature that it does not harden, dry up or get thick 
when it is cold, and which does not readily oxidize. 

To Make a Good Watch Oil — (1) A little pure 
olive oil that has been filtered can be used without 
further preparation. (2) A better oil can be made 
by mixing 1 ounce of pure olive oil and 2 ounces of 
alcohol in a bottle, cork it and let it stand in a dark 
place for a couple of days. 

Take a pound clean bottle and nearly fill it with 
distilled water, or filtered rain water will do, pour 

147 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

the oil and alcohol mixture into it and shake it well 
for several minutes. Let it stand an hour and then 
freeze it, being careful that the bottle does not break, 
when a fine fluid oil will rise to the top. Siphon 
this off and you will have a genuinely good fluid oil. 

Sewing Machine Oil. — Pure sperm oil alone is too 
heavy to make a good light machine oil. A good oil 
can be made by mixing 1 ounce of kerosene oil with 
2 ounces of sperm oil. Filter and it is ready for use. 

Common Steel Wire Nails. — The following 
table gives the size, the length in inches and the price 
per pound, though the latter is subject to change. 
The letter d stands for 'penny, as the old English 
scheme for sizes of nails is still in use. 




[Number 



Length 







BSBjg 


00 O Ot-<(M (M 

O O T-H 1— 1 rH i-H 




nojj 


C^ CO CO Th T^H xf 

oooooo 




O 


iWBjg 


i5 5$ 3S SS 00 <^ o 

O O O O O O rH 




-^ SSSSSSS" 


e» 


SBBjg 


^ »0 LO O t^ 00 

oo oo oo 


OJ 
Q 


UOJJ 


C^ C^ C^ CO CO CO 

o o o o o o 


O 

1 

ft 


00 


ssBjg 


tH "O iO lO CO 

o oo o o 


UOJJ 


23 <^^ <M CO CO 

oooo o 

• • • . , 




r» 


ssBjg 


CO CO^ TtH lO 

o o o o o 


J2; 


uoq 


C^ Cq (M {>J <M 

o o o o o 


o 


« 


Ubtug 


C^ CO CO CO CO 

o oo o o 




uoq 


C<j C^ (M CO CM 

o o o o o 




MS 


BSBjg 


oooo 


3 
^ 


• • • • 


CO 


"^W 


-a 1 aagg 

1 • • • , 




nojj 


!I^ CN (M CS| 

oooo 


3N AND 

1 


w 


ssBjg ! 


92 C<1 CQ CM 

oooo 


nooj 


;z? '-^ C<l CM 

oooo 




N 


• • . 




noq 


o o o 




tH _ 


ysBjg 


CM CM 

oo 




UOJI 1 


r-H ,-H 

oo 






1 \ 

J. 
c 
c 


a ■■- 

3 T-4 1-H »-< tH C<J C^ 



149 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 
The Use of Expansive Bits. — ^Where largo 

holes of various diameters are to be bored it is econ- 
omy to buy an adjustable expansive bit, that is, a bit 
that can be adjusted to bore any size hole from -| to 
H inches, the price of which is 60 cents. An ex- 
pansive bit that will bore holes from J- inch to 3 
inches can be bought for 90 cents. 

A Patent Nail Holder and Set. — The nail set 
has a flat steel spring near the small end. When a 
small nail or a brad is to be driven it is placed be- 
tween the spring and the set and it is then easy to 
hold it in the exact position when the first blow of 
the hammer can be given it and the holder removed. 
It is a great improvement over holding a small nail 
between your thumb and finger. It costs 30 cents. 

How to Etch Your Name on Steel Tools.— 

Make a wax by melting together 1 ounce each of 
beeswax, Burgundy pitch and asphaltum and stir 
until thoroughly mixed. Warm the knife blade or 
tool to be etched and apply a layer of wax while it 
is still hot with a dabber made of a tuft of cotton 
covered with a bit of soft silk until the wax is spread 
evenly over the surface. 

When the wax is cold take a needle, or the sharp 
point of a bone stylus, and cut through the wax so 
that the bright surface of the steel shows through. 
Mix 1 part of nitric acid with 5 parts of water and 
apply this solution to the surface, using a cameFs- 
hair brush to make the liquid flow into every line. 

Let it remain for 10 minutes, when the acid will 

150 



ODDS AND ENDS 

eat into the steel, or etch it as it is called. Wash off 
the acid in hot 
line or benzine. 



the acid in hot water and rub off the wax with gaso- 



HOUSEHOLD HELPS 

To Tell the Weight of a Cake of Ice With- 
out Scales. — When you tell the iceman to bring you 
100 pounds of ice and it looks like 50 pounds you 
can very closely approximate the weight of it by this 
simple rule : Multiply the length of the block by the 
width and the height and divide the product by 30 
and the quotient will be very nearly the weight of 
the ice. As an example, suppose the block was 20 
inches long, 20 inches wide and 7 inches high, the 
product is 20x20x7 or 2800, and this divided by 30 
equals a little over 90, which would be the weight of 
the ice in pounds. 

To Keep a Broom in Good Condition. — ^When 

wash day comes boil the broom in soap suds and this 
will make the straws much stronger but still not stiff 
enough to cut the carpets. 

To Make Sticky Fly Paper. — To 6 ounces of 

boiling water add 2 ounces each of Venetian turpen- 
tine, Canada balsam and castor oil. Stir well and 
apply the sticky compound while it is hot to a highly- 
glazed piece of paper by means of a brush. Leave a 
margin of half an inch around the edges of the paper 
so that it can be handled. 

To Make a Good Household Paste. — A good 

151 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

paste for general use can be made by simply boiling 
a little wheat flour and water together and adding a 
pinch of alum. A few drops of oil of cloves will 
prevent it from spoiling. 

To Tell How Old an Egg Is.— You can tell how 
old the eggs the grocer sells you are, easier than you 
can tell how old Ann is, and besides it's more prof- 
itable. 

Dissolve 2 tablespoonfuls of salt in a teacup of 
water. Then drop the egg in. If it falls to the bot- 
tom of the cup the egg is fresh laid; if it remains 
suspended between the bottom and the top of the 
solution it is perhaps four or ^Ye days old, and if it 
floats on top of the water you can depend it is a 
good, old, ripe egg^ fresh from cold-storage. 

How to Make Putz Pomade. — The two follow- 
ing formulas are simple but excellent ones for mak- 
ing putz pomade, a paste much used for polishing 
all kinds of metals. 

(1) To half a cup of kerosene thoroughly mix an 
equal amount of powdered rouge. Apply the paste 
with a cloth and polish with a clean cloth or chamois 
skin. 

(2) If the odor of kerosene is objectionable then 
use this one. To 6 ounces of iron suh-carhonate add 
2 ounces of powdered rottenstone and mix them well ; 
then add enough lard oil to make a light paste and 
scent it with rose or other flavoring extract. 

To Prevent Lamp Chimneys from Breaking. 

— The chief reason that lamp chimneys break is due 

152 



ODDS AND ENDS 

to their brittleness. To soften or anneal the chim- 
neys place them in a pot filled with very cold water 
to which you have added a handful of coarse salt. 
Heat slowly until the water boils and then let 
the chimneys in the water cool exceedingly slow. 
The whole process ought to take about three hours. 
It is a good plan to use a thermometer to be able to 
know whether the water is heating or cooling too 
rapidly. 

To Take a Glass Stopper Out of a Bottle.— 

If the stopper is stuck fast in the neck of the bottle 




Pig. 75. — A spiritualistic cork extractor. 

it can be removed by putting a drop of olive oil be- 
tween the stopper and the mouth of the bottle and 
heating the neck with a lighted match, turning it in 
the flame so that it will be heated equally and ex- 
pand accordingly, otherwise it will break when the 
neck is well heated; a twisting motion given to the 
stopper will generally loosen it. 

To Remove a Cork from the Inside of a Bottle. 

— A cork extractor can be made of heavy iron wire 

153 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

as shown in Fig. 75. To use it insert it into the 
bottle and get the cork in the middle of the remover. 
Then holding the bottle upside down pull the cork 
to the neck, when the prongs will grip the cork and 
an extra hard pull will extract it. 

How to Fit a Cork. — A cork that is too large 
can be made to fit a bottle by cutting a deep Y-shaped 
notch across the bottom with a sharp knife. 

To Make a Cement for Glass, China- Ware, 

Etc. — A very good cement for glass and china-ware 
can be made by dissolving 2 ounces of clear, pow- 
dered gum arable in a little water. Then dissolve 
1^ ounces of pulverized starch and ^ an ounce of 
sugar in the gum arable solution; stir the mixture 
well and heat it over a water hath — that is, an inner 
dish separated from the one that sets on the fire and 
which is filled with water — until the starch becomes 
clear, and then add a few drops of oil of cloves to 
keep the cement sweet. When cold it should be a 
little thicker than cream and it should stay so. This 
cement is also useful in joining wood, leather, metal, 
etc. 

How to Make a Kitchen Reminder. — It is 

often difficult to remember all of the staples you 
need, such as soap, sugar, sal soda, etc., when the 
grocer boy comes, and this reminder is a great first 
aid to the memory. 

On a piece of cardboard 10 inches on the sides 
draw a 9-inch circle and draw another circle inside 
this one which has a diameter of 6 inches, l^ow di- 

154 



ODDS AND ENDS 

vide the circles into 60 equal spaces and, starting at 
the point which corresponds to 12 o'clock on the face 
of a clock, print or write in each consecutive space 
the following words ; 



Macaroni 


Sago 


Yeast 


Dried 


Matches 


Salt 


Stove 


Fruits 


Molasses 


Sardines 


Polish 


Crackers 


Mustard 


Soap 


Lard 


Coffee 


Nuts 


Soda 


Ketchup 


Codfish 


Oil 


Spices 


Jelly 


Cocoa 


Olives 


Starch 


Jam 


Chocolate 


Pickles 


Sugar 


Honey 


Cheese 


Lemons 


Syrup 


Hominy 


Capers 


Potatoes 


Tapioca 


Gelatine 


Canned 


Preserves 


Tea 


Fruit 


Fruits 


Prunes 


Vegetables 


Flour 


Candles 


Raisins 


Vinegar 


Farina 


Butter 


Rice 


Wax 


Extracts 


Borax 


Beans 


Baking 


Eggs 


Bluing 




Powder 


Soup 


Blacking 



!N'ext cut out six hands of heavy tin and make each 
one 3J inches long and with a ^-inch hole drilled in 
the large end like the hand of a clock. Get a ma- 
chine screw f inch long and also eight washers, the 
holes of which are ^ inch in diameter. 

Slip a washer over the screw and then put on a 
hand, then a washer, next a hand, etc., until all of 
the hands are on and you have only one washer left. 
'Now make a J-inch hole in the center of the card- 
board and slip the screw through it so that the hands 
are on the same side of the board as the names of the 

155 



THE HOME HANDY BOOK 

provisions. Put the last washer on the end of the 
screw which projects out of the back of the cardboard 
and screw the nut on tight. 

The reminder can then be hung up on the wall 
and as fast as the groceries in the pantrj run out 
turn a hand to each name, and then when the grocer 
comes you can give him the order by merely glancing 
at the reminder. 



THE END. 



INDEX 



Annunciation, how it works, 
51 
how to test and fix, 51 
how to wire, 53 
Aquarium, how to make, 
140 

Back saw, 2 

Bathtub, how to make a 

folding, 143 
Batteries, charging, 46 
dry, 46 

sal ammoniac, 46 
Battery, how to test, 48 
Bell circuits, how to test, 

47 
Bells, how to test electric, 

48 
Bench, for workshop, 18 
Bicycle, fixing loose handle 

bars of, 31 
how to repair, 31 
Bicycle chain, how to re- 
pair broken link of, 

32 
Bicycle spoke, how to 

straighten, 32 



Bicycle tire, how to repair, 

31 
Bicycle Wheel, how to 

straighten, 33 
Book rack, how to make, 

128 
Bottle, how to fit a cork in, 

154 
to remove a cork from, 

153 
to take glass stopper out 

of, 153 
Brace and bits, 4 
.Broom, how to keep in good 

condition, 151 
Burglar alarm trap, how to 

install, 66 

Carborundum stove, 13 
Carpet sweeper, how to keep 

in order, 22 
Castors, how to keep in, 102 
Ceilings, how to kalsomine, 

116 
Cement, for glass, china, 

etc., 154 
Center, punch, 11 



157 



INDEX 



Chairs, repairing broken, Electric batteries, 47 



100 
re-seating, 99 

China, how to make ce- 
ment for, 154 

Chisels, firmer, 4 

Circles, how to scribe, 15 

Cleaning painted walls, 121 

Clean-out plunger, 78 

Clock, electric alarm, how to 
make, 57 

Clock, how to clean, 28 

Cold chisels, 11 

Cup joint, how to make in 
lead pipe, 74 

Curing damp walls, 116 

Decorating, interior, 108 
Decorations, stenciled, 117 
Diamond glass cutters, 90 
Dividers, 13 
Door alarm, how to make, 

59 
Door knobs, how to fix, 38 
Doors that stick, 98 
Drawers that stick, 98 
Dresser drawer locks, 41 
Drill stock and drills, 11 
Dry batteries, 46 

Eggs, how to tell age of, 152 
Electric alarm clock, how to 

make, 57 
Electric annunciators, how 

to test and fix, 51 



Electric bells, 48 

Electric burglar alann trap, 
how to install, 66 

Electric door alaim, how to 
make, 59 

Electric fire detector, how to 
make, 62 

Electric fuses, how to re- 
place, 71 

Electric gas lighting appa- 
ratus, how to install, 
64 

Electric heating apparatus, 
testing and fixing, 73 

Electric light bulbs, how to 
color and frost, 72 

Electric refrigerator alarm, 
how to make, 53 

Electric telephones, how to 
test and fix, 50 

Electric wires, how to solder, 
69 

Electrical jobs, 46 

Enameling, interior, 121 

Expansive bits, 150 

Faucets, how to put wash- 
ers in, 76 

Files, 12 

how to clean, 147 

Fire detector, how to make, 
62 

Fire extinguisher, how to 
make, 138 



158 



INDEX 



Floors, how to varnish, 120 
Flushing tank, mechanism 
of, how to keep in or- 
der, 79 
Fly paper, sticky, how to 

make, 151 
Frozen water pipes, how to 

thaw out, 78 
Furniture, 98 
how to clean, 104 
how to enamel, 121 
how to re-upholster, 105 
how to take dents out of, 
103 
Furniture polish, how to 

make, 104 
Fuses, electric, how to re- 
place, 71 

Gas cooking stoves, keeping 

in order, 88 
Gas jet, how to clean, 87 
Gas leaks, how to detect, 

88 
Gas lighting apparatus, how 

to install, 64 
Gasoline torch, 11 
Gimlets, 4 
Glass cutters, steel, 90 

diamond, 90 
Glass cutting board, how to 

make and use, 94 
Glass, how to make cement 

for, 154 
Glazing, 90 



Glazing putty, how to make, 

95 
Gouges, firmer, 4 

Hack-saw frame and saws, 

11 
Hammer, nail, 2 
jeweler's, 10 
machinist's, 11 
Handles, how to tighten side- 
board, 102 
Hand saw, 2 
Handy helps for the house, 

125 
Hatchet, 4 
Heating apparatus, how to 

test and fix electric, 

73 
Hinges, to prevent creaking 

of, 103 
Home decorating, 108 
How a double acting force 

pump works, 85 
How a flushing tank works, 

79 
How a lock is made, 39 
How an annunciator works, 

51 
How a pitcher spout pump 

works, 85 
How pumps work, 81 
How the refrigerator alarm 

works, 57 
How to clean, clock, 20 
files, 147 



159 



INDEX 



How to clean, furniture, 104 
gas jet, 87 
painted walls, 121 
pipes, 75 
windows, 96 
How to color and frost elec- 
tric light bulbs, 72 
How to cut glass, 90 
stencils, 117 
window glass, 93 
How to detect gas leaks, 88 
How to ease doors and 
drawers that stick, 98 
How to enamel furniture, 

121 
How to etch your name on 

steel tools, 150 
How to fix, annunciators, 51 
door knob, 38 
double acting force pump, 

86 
electric heating apparatus, 

73 
loose handle bars, 31 
oil stove, 23 
pitcher spout pump, 85 
pumps, 81 
telephones, 50 
telephone transmitters, 51 
How to fit a cork in a bot- 
tle, 154 
How to hang wall paper, 

109 
How to install burglar 
alarm trap, 66 



How to install electric gas 

lighting apparatus, 

64 
How to kalsomine a ceiling, 

116 
How to keep, broom in good 

condition, 15 
carpet sweeper in order, 

22 
castors from falling out, 

102 
gas cooking stoves in or- 
der, 88 
sewing machine in repair, 

33 
How to leave a house for 

the winter, 77 
How to make, adjustable 

book rack, 128 
aquarium, 140 
cement for glass, etc., 154 
cheap water cooler and 

filter, 138 
cup joint in lead pipes, 74 
electric alarm clock, 57 
electric door alarm, 59 
fire detector, 62 
fire extinguisher, 138 
folding bath tub, 143 
furniture polish, 104 
glass cutting board, 94 
glazing putty, 95 
household paste, 151 
kalsomine, 117 
keys, 43 



160 



INDEX 



How to make, kitchen re- 
minder, 154 
leather polish, 105 
new spout, 25 
old shears into new, 28 
paste, for paper hanging, 

112 
piano polish, 105 
putz pomade, 152 
quick ice cream freezer, 

129 
refrigerator alarm, 53 
self-drying soap stand, 

125 
self-setting mouse trap, 

126 
sewing machine oil, 148 
shower bath, 132 
sleeping window, 142 
soldering fluid, 24 
sticky fly paper, 151 
watch oil, 147 
window cupboard, 135 
window ventilator, 134 
How to mend, leaky kettle, 
25 
window shade roller, 26 
How to paint, 121 
How to paper, ceilings, 114 

walls, 114 
How to paste wall paper, 

113 
How to pick a lock, 41 
How to prepare walls for 
papering. 111 



How to prevent, hinges from 
creaking, 103 
lamp chimneys from 

breaking, 152 
water pipes from freezing, 
77 
How to put in a window 

light, 96 
How to put on stained glass 

paper, 122 
How to put washers in fau- 
cets, 76 
How to repair, bicycles, 31 
bicycle chain, 32 
broken chains, 100 
rubber tire, 31 
How to recharge batteries, 

46 
How to remove, cork from 
bottle, 153 
old paint, 121 
old putty, 94 
How to replace electric 

fuses, 71 
How to re-seat chairs, 99 
How to re-upholster furni- 
ture, 105 
How to sharpen, knives, 29 

wood working tools, 8 
How to size walls for paper 

hanging, 112 
How to solder, electric wires, 
69 
leaks in lead pipes, 74 
tinware, 24 



161 



INDEX 



How to stop leaks in lead 

pipes, 74 
How to straighten bent 
spoke, 32 
bicycle wheel, 33 
How to take dents out of 

furniture, 103 
How to take glass stopper 

out of bottle, 153 
How to tell the age of an 

egg, 152 
How to tell weight of ice 

without scales, 151 
How to test, annunciators, 
51 
batteries, 48 
bell circuits, 47 
electric bells, 48 
electric heating apparatus, 

73 
push buttons, 48 
telephones, 50 
How to thaw out frozen 

water pipes, 78 
How to tighten, loose cas- 
tors, 102 
sideboard handles, 102 
How to trim wall paper, 

113 
How to use, clean-out 
plunger, 78 
diamond glass cutter, 93 
metal working tools, 14 
steel glass cutter, 92 
wood working tools, 5 



How to varnish, 120 

How to wire annunciator, 53 

Ice cream freezer, quick, 

how to make, 129 
Ice, how to tell weight of, 

151 
Indoor mechanics, 20 
Interior decorating, 108 
enameling, 121 
painting, 121 
varnishing, 119 



Jeweler's hammer, 10 



Kalsomine, how to make, 117 
Key, blanks, 43 

files, 43 
Keys, how to make, 43 
Kitchen reminder, how to 

make, 154 
Knife, boy scout, 13 

Lamp chimneys, to prevent 

breaking, 152 
Lead pipes, how to stop 

leaks in, 74 
Lead pipe S trap, 76 
Lead pipes, soldering leaks 

in, 74 
Leather polish, how to make, 

105 
Locks, door, 39 
dresser drawer, 41 
how made, 39 



162 



INDEX 



Locks, how to pick, 41 

lever tumbler, 39 
Lock picks, 41 
Locksmithing, 38 
Locksmith^s files, 43 

Machinist's, hammer, 11 

vise, 14 
Materials, 19 
Metal working tools, 9 

how to use, 14 
Miter box, 2 
Monkey wrench, 12 
Mouse trap, self -setting, 126 

Nail set, 4 
Nails, wire, 147 

Odds and ends, 147 
Oil cans, 13 
Oilstone, Washita, 5 
Oil stove, how to fix, 23 
Oil, watch and machine, 147 

Paint, old, how to remove, 

121 
Painting, interior, 121 
Paper hanging, how to make 
paste for, 112 
how to paper ceilings, 114 
how to prepare walls for, 

111 
how to trim the paper, 

113 
pasting the paper, 113 
sizing the walls for, 112 



Paper hanging tools, 110 
Papering walls, 114 
Paste, household, how to 

make, 151 
Piano polish, how to make, 

105 
Pipes, how to clean out, 75 
Plane, block, 3 

smooth, 3 
Pliers, flat-nose, 12 

flat-nose, side cutting, 12 
round-nose, 12 
Plumbing, 74 

how to stop leaks in lead 
pipes, 74 
Pumps, double acting force, 
86 
how they work and how 

to fix them, 81 
pitcher spout, 81 
Putty, how to make glazing, 
95 
old, how to remove, 94 
Putz pomade, how to make, 
152 

Refrigerator alarm, how to 

make, 53 
Rule, two-foot, 4 ^ 

Screw drivers, 12 
Screws, sizes of, 149 
Sewing machine, how to 
keep in repair, 33 
pai-ts of, 35 



163 



INDEX 



Sewing machine, proper 

sizes of needles and 

thread for, 36 
Shears, new for old, 28 
Shop helps, 147 
Shower bath while you wait, 

132 
Sleeping window, how to 

make, 142 
Solder, how to, 24 
Soldering copper, 12 
Soldering fluid, how to make, 

24 
Soldering lead pipes, 74 
Solder wires, how to, 69 
Soap stand, self-drying, 125 
Stained glass paper, 122 
Steel glass cutters, 90 
Stencils, how to cut, 117 

Taps and dies, 13 
Telephones, how to test and 

fix, 50 
Telephone transmitters, 51 
Tinners' snips, 11 
Tinware, how to solder, 24 
Tools, for cutting glass, 90 

how to etch your name on, 
150 

metal working, 9 

for paper hanging, 110 

taking care of, 17 

wood working, 1 
Traps in lead pipes, 76 
Try square, 4 



Varnishing, interior, 119 

new floors, 120 

old floors, 120 

woodwork, 120 
Vise, bench, 5 

machinist's, 14 

wood and lead cheeks for, 
16 

Wall paper, 108 

amount required, 109 
how to paste, 113 
how to trim, 113 
Wall papering, helpful 

hints, 115 
Walls, cleaning painted, 121 
curing damp, 116 
how to paper, 114 
how to prepare. 111 
how to size, 112 
Warding files, 43 
Water cooler and filter, 

cheap, 138 
Water pipes, how to prevent 

freezing, 77 
Window glass, 90 
how to cut, 93 
sizes and prices of, 91 
tools for cutting, 90 
Window light, how to put in, 

96 
Window shade, when it 
won't go up, 26 
when it won't stay down, 
26 



164 



INDEX 



Window shade roller, mend- 
ing, 26 
Window ventilator, 134 
Windows, how to clean, 
96 



Wires, how to solder, 69 
Wood working tools, 1 " 

how to sharpen, 8 

how to use, 5 
Workshop, 17 



(1) 






fffii^ 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 'ml 




